New Jersey Republicans want vaccinations for teachers so they can return to classrooms

(The Center Square) – Some New Jersey Republicans are criticizing Gov. Phil Murphy for delays in vaccinating teachers so students can return to the classroom.

“It is high time for our students and teachers to go back to the classroom,” state Sen. Michael Testa, R-Vineland, said in a statement.

“Our children fall further behind with every day they are out of school, and for special needs students, the impact is that much more severe,” Testa added. “Remote learning in this environment is anything but ideal, and for many students who need the daily reinforcement and encouragement of in-person instruction, the lost time can be educationally devastating.”

The lawmakers say a slow rollout of vaccines in the Garden State has hindered school districts’ efforts to return to face-to-face instruction.

In January, Testa, Assemblyman Erik Simonsen, R-Cape May, and Assemblyman Antwan McClellan, R-Cape May, wrote to Murphy and asked teachers to be “offered the next eligibility” for vaccines once new doses are secured after senior citizens had the chance to receive their vaccinations.

“The pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the economy and the education system,” Simonsen, the athletic director at Lower Cape May Regional High School, said in a statement.

“We have heard too many stories of students who are unable to keep pace with remote instruction,” Simonsen added. “They lack adequate technology and quality internet access, and for these youngsters, in-school education is a necessity. They are particularly vulnerable, and their futures depend on it.”

During a Wednesday news briefing, Murphy said the state had administered 837,225 total vaccine doses: 691,000 rounds first doses and 146,000 rounds of second doses. The state’s six mega vaccination sites reopened following winter weather.

“This will not create any sort of domino effect for future vaccinations and all doses are accounted for,” Murphy said.

During the same briefing, David Adinaro, the deputy commissioner for public health, said that while the storm “did disrupt operations,” more people in the Garden State are “getting vaccinated.”

“Just last week, 230,000 doses were administered in the state,” Adinaro added. “Our hope is that the federal government will continue to increase vaccine supply, but currently doses are still very limited so we continue to ask for the public’s patience. There is still an imbalance between supply and demand.”

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