86 To 89 Percent of US Teachers Are Vaccinated: Survey

Teachers are ready to return to the classroom in the fall. Hopefully parents will follow suit in sending their children. JL 

Yoree Koh reports in the Wall Street Journal:

The National Education Association, which has three million members nationwide, said about 86% of its members have received at least one dose of the vaccine, up from 49% a month ago. The rapid acceleration of vaccination has bolstered educators’ enthusiasm to return to the classroom. 76% of those polled said they are prepared to return to full-time in-person instruction, and most have closed out the school year spending some time in front of students. The American Federation of Teachers, the country’s second largest teachers union, said last month that 89% of its members have been fully vaccinated or want to be.

The vast majority of the country’s largest teachers union’s members have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and most have finished out the school year teaching in person as some contemplate leaving the profession.

The National Education Association, which has three million members nationwide, said about 86% of its members have received at least one dose of the vaccine, up from 49% a month ago, according to a survey released Thursday. The survey in which 2,690 members were polled was commissioned by the union from May 19-26.

The rapid acceleration of vaccination has bolstered educators’ enthusiasm to return to the classroom. About 76% of those polled said they are prepared to return to full-time in-person instruction, and most have closed out the school year spending some time in front of students. Just 3% report teaching exclusively online.

About 11% said they would either not be vaccinated or are unsure of their plans.

The American Federation of Teachers, the country’s second largest teachers union, said last month that 89% of its members have been fully vaccinated or want to be.

“Educators are ready for the hope and promise of having all of their students learning in-person this fall, knowing there are going to be opportunities and challenges we still must face,” said NEA President Becky Pringle in a statement.

Ms. Pringle said that the stress of the past year on teachers needs to be addressed, citing a survey result showing that one of three teachers said they are thinking about leaving the profession or retiring early. The union president said what was particularly troubling was that teachers who are early in their careers say they may leave the profession at “alarming rates.” Nearly 30% of teachers with less than 10 years of experience said they are thinking about leaving teaching earlier than planned.

The NEA is calling for ongoing safety improvements to be made to school buildings, saying many buildings still lack proper ventilation. One-third of those polled said safe ventilation has been implemented in their schools.