Vaccination priority for school staff
On April 16, a joint letter was sent from the Board of Education Chairs at Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, Prairie Spirit School Division and Saskatoon Public School Division to Minster of Education Honourable Dustin Duncan urging the Government of Saskatchewan to prioritize school staff for COVID-19 vaccinations.
2021-04-16 Joint GSCS-SPS-PSSD letter to Minister Duncan unsigned.pdf
April 16, 2021
Dear Minister Duncan,
On behalf of the students, families, and staff that we serve as elected trustees, we join our colleagues in Regina and appeal to the Ministry of Education and the Government of Saskatchewan to prioritize education staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
Collectively, we have approximately 64,000 students and staff in our three divisions. Much time, energy and resources—including Ministry resources—have been spent over the last year doing all we can to keep them and their families safe.
With the roll-out of vaccinations picking up pace—hopefully faster than the variants of concern—we believe extending the protection of vaccines to all school staff gives the provincial fight against the virus the much-needed advantage in this race. We have a small window of time to seize this opportunity. We must take action now.
Our dedicated professionals have done phenomenal work keeping students and each other safe. This in turn helps keep households healthy, allowing parents and caregivers to work. Adding school staff to the vaccination priority list gives added protection to everyone in schools and will be a significant step in keeping communities safe.
Despite the challenges of this past year, staff have continued to deliver excellent education allowing students to grow and learn. As education is a key sector to the recovery and revitalization of Saskatchewan post-pandemic, we respectfully ask you and your colleagues in the government to consider this request.
Sincerely,
Diane Boyko
Board of Education Chair
Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools
Bernie Howe
Board of Education Chair
Prairie Spirit School Division
Colleen MacPherson
Board of Education Chair
Saskatoon Public Schools
