Denver Public Schools Partners With Children's Hospital Colorado For Teacher COVID Vaccines

DENVER (CBS4)- Teachers from Colorado's largest school district, Denver Public Schools, are now among those eligible to receive the COVID vaccine. On Monday, teachers and other school staff in Colorado joined the list to be vaccinated along with those 65 years and older and child care workers.

Gov. Jared Polis made the change to the state's phased distribution plan last month to Phase 1.B2.

Denver Public Schools has partnered with Children's Hospital Colorado to help vaccinate their 18,000 employees.

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A letter from interim DPS superintendent Dwight Jones read in part, "We will prioritize team members who are frontline staff working with students every day, in collaboration with union leadership, and we will be in contact with those employees, including steps on how appointments will be made with Children's Hospital Colorado... DPS is not requiring employees to take the vaccine because we know this is an individual and personal choice for all staff members. However, we hope that a large number of our team will choose to take the vaccine in order to provide maximum protection for our staff and student communities."

"This has definitely been a long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel for us and for DPS, we are excited to partner with Children's, one of the best hospitals in the state and nation, even, to be able to offer these vaccines to our staff," said Denver Public Schools media relations manager Winna MacLaren.

DPS hopes to have the first round completed by spring break at the end of March.