Staples handles teacher absences due to COVID-19 booster shots

Kiswa Khan ’23, Associate Managing Editor|November 24, 2021

Graphic by Mishael Gill ’23

The CDC recommends that all adults who have received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine get the booster shot six months after their second dose.

Staples teachers were offered booster shots for their COVID-19 vaccine on Nov. 17. Many of the teachers were out the next day because of its side effects which include fatigue, muscle pain, chills, joint pain and fever. On the morning of Nov. 18, there was an announcement made on the intercom asking for teachers to cover classes due to a lack of substitute teachers. 

“Even with all the building subs having their entire schedules booked and having some daily subs coming in […] there were still 17 classes that […] needed to be covered,” substitute teacher Hannah Mata said.

According to science teacher Dr. Wong, who had to sub in for a class, the scheduling for the teachers’ booster shots was well thought out and timed despite the concerns about many teachers being out.  

“There were absences the next day and there were substitutes that needed to be found, but there’s always a competing set of priorities,” Dr. Wong said. “In this case, I suspect that they wanted to make sure people were covered before all the gatherings took place [during Thanksgiving break].”  

Although there was some apprehension that the teachers’ absences would not be handled well, the absent teachers left detailed plans for their class to ensure that students would not fall behind on the curriculum.

“My Italian teacher was out and he assigned some VHL assignments that kept us occupied and were helpful for our lesson,” Georgia Elsener ’24 said. “I think the administration did its best, considering the circumstances.” 

Students feel that providing the booster shot midweek was more convenient for  teachers because they were already in the building. Having the clinic on a weekend could make it more difficult to have accessibility.

“It’s unfair to take time from the teachers’ weekends” Marley Brown ’23 said, “because it’s us they are protecting […] by getting their booster shots.”