Health experts indicate vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention to end the pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 vaccines are effective at helping to protect against severe disease and death from variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, including the Delta variant.
Beginning in early 2021, when the COVID vaccine became available, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) has encouraged staff members and eligible community members to get vaccinated. Working with the Gwinnett-Newton-Rockdale Health Department and other providers like Northside Gwinnett and Walmart, the school district has encouraged citizens to learn more about vaccinations and shared information about numerous vaccination opportunities with staff and families. Why is the district focused on this strategy? Vaccination has proven to be an important part of the district’s layered mitigation efforts to limit the spread of the virus as vaccinated individuals are less likely to become ill and less likely to infect others. This is important to GCPS’ overall goal of keeping schools open and students learning in person.
In light of the recent surge in cases, GCPS is once again emphasizing the importance of vaccinations by providing a staff incentive and partnering with the Health Department to provide additional mobile vaccination clinics in our school communities.
Gwinnett County Public Schools is offering a one-time, $500 incentive to eligible staff members who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. (This incentive will be retroactive and available to eligible employees—including those who were vaccinated in spring and summer and those who will be vaccinated going forward.) Through a voluntary process, employees will complete two-steps attesting to their vaccination status. Employees will receive information about the process on Sept. 9.
The incentive is available to the following staff who meet eligibility requirements:
- All benefited, full-time employees
- Contracted cafeteria staff
- Contracted speech language pathologists
- Retirees (This group would receive .49% of the incentive to reflect their .49 work schedule)
- Substitute teachers (Eligible subs must work a minimum of 45 days this school year.)
In addition to the staff incentive, GCPS is working with the Health Department to make vaccinations more accessible in our community by hosting weekly vaccination clinics at high schools around the county during September and October. No appointment is necessary.
Participants will receive the PFIZER vaccine, which requires two shots. This opportunity is available to anyone eligible for the vaccine, ages 12 and older. Students ages 12 to 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Interpreters will be on site. These mobile clinics will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations:
- Shiloh High School, Tues., Sept. 7, 2021, and Thurs., Sept. 9.
- Discovery High School, Tues., Sept. 14, 2021, and Thurs., Sept. 16.
- Duluth High School, Tues., Sept. 21, 2021, and Thurs., Sept. 23.
- Dacula High School, Tues., Sept. 28, 2021, and Thurs., Sept. 30.
- Grayson High School, Tues., Oct. 5.
“As we are in the third school year impacted by the pandemic, now, more than ever, it is important for our children to be in school and learning in person,” says Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts. “One way we can ensure that is through vaccination efforts. In the past, our district has focused on increasing awareness of vaccine availability and of opportunities to become vaccinated. However, it is time to improve our efforts. We hope to make a difference in encouraging vaccinations through employee incentives and additional vaccination clinics. By doing so, we can assist in limiting the spread of COVID which will help us keep our schools open, benefitting our students and the greater Gwinnett community.”
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