Today, Governor John Bel Edwards announced that Louisiana's K-12 teachers, support staff, and child care workers will receive eligibility for access to COVID-19 vaccines effective Monday, February 22, 2021. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), the Louisiana Department of Education, and a number of state education stakeholder groups had previously requested the prioritization of education professionals for vaccine access as essential frontline workers serving the families of Louisiana.
Board President Sandy Holloway issued the following statement following the announcement:
"I wish to thank Governor Edwards and state health officials for responding to the request of BESE and the Louisiana education community by enabling access to COVID-19 vaccines for K12 educators, support staff and early childhood professionals. These 166,000+ frontline workers are a major point of contact in all regions and demographics of our state; in providing them with access to vaccines, we provide an even safer learning environment for students and maximize efforts to put an end to COVID-19 in Louisiana."
For more information, contact:
Kevin Calbert
225-342-5847
kevin.calbert@la.gov
BESE is the administrative policymaking body for elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana. The Board sets key education initiatives and works to outline an education agenda to achieve continuous improvement of public education as measured by student and school achievement.