Solon Schools Teachers, Staff Get 1st Dose Of COVID Vaccine

SOLON, OH — More than 600 Solon Schools employees received the first part of the COVID-19 vaccine last week, a district official confirmed.

Teachers and staff received the Pfizer vaccine during a clinic at the Education Service Center (ESC) of Northeast Ohio on Friday morning. Pharmacists from Giant Eagle administered the vaccine.

"Overall, it's an important next step in everything that we've been doing to keep our families, our kids, our staff and our whole community as safe as possible, while we continue our commitment to keeping kids in school, in-person, as much as possible. Our schools reflect the conditions around us, so providing an extra layer of protection is encouraging and a positive step," a Solon Schools spokesperson told Patch.

Employees will get their second vaccine dose on March 5. There will be no classes that day, district officials confirmed.

Gov. Mike DeWine struck a bargain with Ohio schools at the beginning of the year — agree to reopen by March 1 and teachers and staff can receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly every school district in Ohio agreed to the deal, including Solon.

Due to a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines, the state won't be able to complete the vaccination process for most teachers by March 1. All faculty should receive at least the first dose of the vaccine before reopening.