LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — Leon County Schools employees who are 65+ are set to receive the COVID-19 vaccine this weekend, according to Superintendent Rocky Hanna.
Hanna said Tuesday that the Leon County Health Department will set up a vaccination clinic on Saturday for LCS employees age 65 and up to be vaccinated.
That equates to roughly 250 staff members out of more than 4,000 that are eligible to receive the vaccine.
If the employees can’t make the clinic or miss out on Saturday, Hanna said the district will do everything they can to get them vaccinated.
This comes after Hanna pleaded with the city's health leaders to make LCS a priority for vaccine distribution during a Zoom call on Monday.
During that call with Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey and other city and county leaders, Hanna expressed frustration at the lack of vaccine prioritization for his staff.
"I'm glad to hear that Florida State and FAMU have moved up on the priority list," Hanna said. "I'm wondering why our schools haven't. I don't understand why Florida State and FAMU are getting doses for their over 65 age employees while Leon County Schools isn't."
He also pointed out that while medical specialists like dental hygienists are getting the vaccine, the staff at LCS have largely not been included in the vaccination plan.
"Yet, our teachers and bus drivers and everybody that's been associated with children since Aug. 31, for some reason, have not been engaged with," Hanna said. "That is disappointing."
Hanna also brought up questions about who locally is vetting the people who've been lining up to receive the vaccination.
"I don't want to get into the haves and the have nots or who should be prioritized and who isn't," Hanna said. "But if FAMU and Florida State and Bethel Baptist Church and those people are being prioritized, then our school system needs to be prioritized as well."
After Hanna's comments, Leon County Health Officer Claudia Blackburn said that she would work with Hanna to make plans to vaccinate 65+ LCS employees as soon as possible.
You can watch the full call with Mayor Dailey and city leaders below:
