FORT WORTH, Texas— As the first rounds of the COVID-19 vaccine are being administered to frontline health care workers, the Tarrant County judge, county commissioners and school district are advocating for teachers to be included.
The push to protect teachers comes as they are considered frontline essential workers keeping the district running during the pandemic--teachers like Elizabeth Rodriguez, who teaches fifth grade at Alice D Contreras Elementary in Fort Worth.
“I never thought twice about it, I just really wanted to return back to my students,” said Rodriguez.
Teachers have stepped up to continue providing a quality education for their students even during unprecedented difficult times.
“It’s just very difficult for my students to be learning virtually. Right now, I have 60 percent of my students online,” she said.
Keeping teachers like her in mind, Tarrant County’s Judge B. Glen Whitley and other leaders wrote a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott requesting to put teachers first, as they are at risk often while performing their essential jobs every day.
“They want kids back in school and you can’t have them there without having teachers,” said Whitley.
Rodriguez is grateful for that kind of support and says even though there’s a level of uncertainty about the vaccine, she’s willing to take that next step.
“I am glad that they are trying to have teachers get the vaccine, but I feel like the vaccine is so new and we don’t know a lot of information about it, but I feel like if its gonna help our staff and help our students, I am open to getting it,” she said.
As she considers it necessary to improve the situation we all live in today, because even when the safety measures in place have been working so far.
"I am ready just to go back to our normal lives and I’m ready to have my students in my classroom - all of them. I feel like they’re most successful when they’re in the classroom and it’s our nature to be social,” Rodriguez said.
She’s willing to take the plunge for a greater good, as all frontline workers do.