12 OPINION
EDITORIAL If teachers are expected to teach in person, they should be prioritized for vaccine Teachers are essential workers and they should be treated as such. With the move to the “green” schedule it is now as clear as ever that teachers need to be vaccinated as soon as possible. In fact, before even considering the move back to “green,” teachers should have already been vaccinated. As Illinois teachers begin their first rounds of vaccines, it begs the question: why do Indiana teachers keep getting pushed down in priority? They are going into a building every day risking their lives to keep the education process going. They are more than essential workers; they are essential people in the lives of countless students. Teachers should not have to continue being fearful of doing their job. The wait for these vaccines to come into fruition has already been long enough. Teachers of all people should not have to wait any longer than they need to get a vaccine injection, so they can safely do their job. This situation is another reminder in this pandemic that teachers should be held in a higher value by society or, at the very least, appreciated more. With so many students coming in and out of a teacher’s classroom every single day, we need to get them the vaccines they need to safely carry out the duties of their jobs. Teachers across the nation are watching as more and more teachers get infected with COVID-19. Unfortunately, some teachers have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 complications and a few have even died. That fear should not have to be present in the minds of our educators in this day and age. As grim as that may be, this is a serious issue that needs to be urgently addressed. Gambling with the lives of teachers is completely unacceptable, and teachers should not have to come into the school building every day feeling like they are being gambled with. While schools can still be relatively safe without vaccinations, the change to the green schedule seems to go against that idea. Having more students in the building at any given time means that students must be closer together in a classroom, which leads to a much higher risk of infection. Many states have already begun vaccinating teachers in the vaccine distribution process. It really is a shame to see that it is not the case for Indiana educators, as it feels as if the state is not valuing these essential employees. If we are not going to prioritize the health of teachers, then why are we going to school in person? Teachers need the vaccine as soon as possible so they can continue to teach in a safer environment.
