Framingham Schools Will Host Staff Coronavirus Vaccine Clinic

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham Public Schools this week will host a coronavirus vaccine clinic exclusively for staff, with priority going to educators and bus drivers who work closely with children, Superintendent Robert Tremblay said Tuesday.

The first of two clinics will happen Thursday with 100 doses of the Moderna vaccine. Second doses will be administered during a clinic on April 16, but Tremblay said the district would offer vaccines to staff as doses become available.

The clinics come at a pivotal time for educators. The state is mandating districts return to full in-person learning next month — April 5 for elementary schools, and April 28 for middle schools.

Tremblay credited School Board Chair Adam Freudberg and the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center for securing the doses.

"Vaccination access for educators and bus drivers is an important component of school reopening so people can remain healthy and more confident, and in turn buildings and classrooms are more likely to remain open," Freudberg said Tuesday. "The Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center is stepping up for the Framingham Public Schools by expanding our existing partnership now to provide vaccines. A huge thank you to President and CEO Steve Kerrigan, health center staff, Tremblay and the FPS COVID-19 team for making sure these new vaccine doses are offered to staff as soon as practical."

Educators across Massachusetts became eligible to receive the vaccine on March 11, but appointments are still scarce with other eligible groups in the mix. Massachusetts this week will see a slight uptick in the allotment of vaccines from the federal government from about 155,000 to 170,000.