For weeks, members of the St. Louis Public Schools teachers union have been calling families that “slipped through the cracks” last year, re-engaging them one-on-one with the district; with school. According to AFT Local 420 union spokesman Byron Clemens, families were glad to hear from teachers, and generally excited to send their children back to in-person school when classes begin August 23rd.
But what many of those students were more interested in was the back-to-school fair, held Saturday, August 6th. Students received bookbags, got health screenings, played games, received free books — and anyone over the age of 12 was able to receive a free vaccination. The fair was funded by a grant from the national American Federation of Teachers, as part of a nationwide back-to-school push that has provided grant money to 65 districts so far.
Clemens said that in the third year of the pandemic’s impact on education, families were glad to get the invitation to come and get prepared for the school year.
“Some asked if we could call them back and give them a reminder, and we did that. People were thankful that we checked in on them,” he said.
At 10 a.m. the line for vaccines winded around the back of the Gateway Complex and into the gymnasium. Children too young to be vaccinated played in the bubble machine outside or waited in the observation area as their parents got the shot inside.
“Not only is the turnout big, but it’s the right population,” Superintendent Kelvin Adams said. “We targeted the families that were not necessarily connected last year. So, making over 3,000 phone calls to that targeted 950 or so families, was critical and important. When people talk about equity, it’s about getting people what they need. So this was an equity kind of deal.”
He estimated that about 300 families out of those 950 were interested in getting vaccinated at the back-to-school event.
Erica Earl brought her daughters, Ayanah and Evan, both high school students, for the vaccines. They were reluctant to get the vaccines.
“I don’t like shots, period,” Evan said. “She dragged us here,” Ayanah said.
“I did not! They wanted to come, I’m just dragging them for the vaccination!” said Earl. “Because I want to make sure they come home safely. I’ve been hearing a lot of kids, teenagers ending up in the hospital lately.”
With the rise of the highly-transmissible Delta variant, many parents are more anxious to get their eligible children and teenagers vaccinated against COVID-19. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the percentage of nationwide COVID-19 cases that were children was up 84% in the last week of July compared to the week prior.
So, while SLPS still plans on a fully in-person fall semester, it is taking precautions: mask mandates are still in place and students will be kept in small cohorts, for example. While Adams does not know how many teachers and staff members are vaccinated yet, he noted that “out of 100 principals, we only have about 6 who are not vaccinated. That’s the indicator we have.”
As was true a month ago, interest in the virtual schooling option SLPS offers remains low, though Adams said there’s been “a small uptick.”
And students are eager to go back to school: “I want to go back to normal,” Ayanah said.
The American Federation of Teachers’ national president, Randi Weingarten, spoke at a press conference before Saturday’s event. On Sunday, Weingarten announced on “Meet The Press” that she is backing vaccine mandates for all educators nationwide. No local district has yet announced any such mandate.
“These Saturday fairs are wonderful, because it’s a way for the district to partner with our union, and welcome families back, and make sure they get what they need,” Weingarten said. What I like about this one in particular, though, is that it also stands as a vaccination clinic.”
Adams noted that, while SLPS has not mandated vaccinations for staff, staffers who have been vaccinated are being asked to upload their vaccination cards to a database.
“If they have to quarantine, and they’ve been vaccinated, we’ll pay them for the 10 days they’re out,” Adams said. “If not, we won’t pay them for those 10 days.”
Mayor Tishaura Jones planned to speak at the event. However, she was unable to do so as she and her staff were quarantining after a COVID-19 exposure.
“Making sure all of us get vaccinated is key to ensuring healthy and safe school environments for our children this year,” Jones said in her prepared remarks, which were delivered on her behalf by Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed. “I commend the organizers of this event for making vaccination a key focus, and encourage everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and talk to their families about doing the same.”
And in order to do as Jones said and get as many people as possible vaccinated before school starts up in two weeks, said children’s behavioral health therapist Shaina Smith at the event, it’s important to meet people where they are—even in places like a back-to-school fair.
“We’ve had a couple people that were apprehensive, but they made it. I told them…we all had to get it, and we’re still standing, aren’t we?,” Smith said.
