ST CHARLES, Mo. — St. Charles County is ready to move into phase 1B-Tier 3 on March 15 with the rest of the state according to County Executive Steve Ehlmann.
“It's been a lot of smiles around here,” he said.
St. Charles County educators are excited about the progress because they will be prioritized to get the shot due to many of them being in the classroom with students.
“If we can do what we can to make sure those kids in school have a teacher in front of them every day for the rest of the year that's what we are trying to do,” Ehlmann said.
“We are going to be going off of rosters provided by the schools,” Health Director Demetrius Cianci-Chapman said. ”So it's going to be people who work at the schools here.”
About 12,000 faculty and staff in the country from both public and private schools will be able to get the shot at five high schools designated for distribution.
Distribution schools:
- St. Charles West
- Ft. Zumwalt West
- Holt High
- Francis Howell
- Francis Howell North
Each school will have different distribution days and could be affected by vaccine supply. Faculty and staff can choose to get the vaccine at any of the locations.
Fort Zumwalt Superintendent Bernard DuBray said this news is a huge relief.
“It's been a real stressful situation,” DuBray said. “A lot of anxiety. It’s a rewarding feeling to know we opened our schools face-to-face and now we are getting to a point to know that everybody can open and be safe.”
Ehlmann said there could be scenarios where a younger teacher could get vaccinated before someone at-risk but the county is working hard to vaccinate everyone eligible.