BY CHLOE PORTER

Wadsworth City Schools’ superintendent, Dr. Andrew Hill, announced that all school employees will be able to receive their first Coronavirus vaccine on February 4, 2021. Wadsworth schools will be closed on that day while the teachers and staff are getting vaccinated.

Scheduling for the vaccines will begin on Friday, January 29 and will close on Sunday, January 31. The start time to get vaccines will be as early as 7:00 am and the entire district will be assigned to a certain clinic. In December, many employees had already expressed interest in receiving the new vaccine. 

“Over 71% of our employees have expressed a desire to receive the vaccine,” Hill wrote in an email to school employees, students, and parents.

Due to the high interest among employees, Wadsworth will be cancelling school on February 4. This vaccine will be offered to substitute teachers who normally work in the schools, but not to spouses nor family members. 

“While cancelling a day of school is never desired, allowing our employees to have access to the COVID-19 vaccine is another step in helping us to keep our students in school,” Hill said.

Eleven other districts, including 128 Summit and Medina County schools, are now eligible to receive the vaccine. Governor Dewine explained that he plans to have other schools begin the week after since there are not enough vaccines currently available. 

A second dose of the vaccine will need to be administered to all staff at an undisclosed time in the future. Hill promised to inform the community when he had more information about the second dose.