SALEM, MASS. (WHDH) - Gov. Charlie Baker showed his support for getting students back into the classroom during a tour of the Bently Academy Innovation School in Salem on Thursday.
But teachers have raised questions about where they sit in the line to get a vaccine.
Baker doubled down on his decision to place some people higher up on his priority list than others during his remarks at the elementary school Thursday.
“The overwhelming evidence coming out of the gate for the committee that put together our strategy for vaccines said the first two things you should focus on are preserving life and protecting the healthcare system,” he said.
He said this is why healthcare workers, first responders, and seniors over the age of 75 came first.
Though he promised teachers they would get their turn soon.
“Teachers are in the first group of what I would describe as other employees, essential workers,” Baker said. “Depending on how quickly we can get folks who are 75 plus and 65 plus and the folks with multiple comorbidities through the system, they come right after them.”
In a statement, the Boston Teacher’s Union said, “The majority of our educators are in favor of getting the vaccine as soon as it is available to them. We believe school nurses and educators currently working in-person should take precedence … All educators need to be prioritized as we look to send more students back into our schools.”
Baker said he believes the state has its vaccine priorities in order.
“It was a harder lift coming out of the gate because of the distributive nature of a lot of the congregate care facilities and a lot of the folks in the homeless shelters and all the rest but I think we did the right thing there,” he said.
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