In the beginning of February, Interim Superintendent Barry Galasso, along with fellow Mercer County Superintendents, sent a letter to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy urging for the prioritization of the vaccinations of educators.

The letter placed an emphasis on the importance of healthy staff members for a stable classroom environment. It reasoned that educator prioritization and classroom stability would improve the instruction and mental well-being of students and, by extension, boost their academic performance. The vaccination of staff members would also increase the feasibility of in-person education in the spring.

Additionally, the letter offered Mercer County school facilities as supplementary vaccination locations. In addition to the ample indoor and outdoor spacing for vaccination equipment and spacing requirements, Mercer County districts are equipped with the help of skilled staff and operational planning teams.

Prior to the most recent letter to Governor Murphy, Galasso had already sent a letter solely on behalf of the Princeton Board of Education. The main focus of the first letter, sent on January 28, was the pandemic’s effect on the mental health of students and how vaccination would ease stress on teachers and faculty, thereby positively influencing classroom environments.

“There are a significant number of students who need not only the academic support but the social [and] emotional support. And the vaccine, [as well as greater classroom security], will allow us to bring students in school for in-person instruction in greater numbers,” Galasso said.

Overall, the community and teachers have been supportive of the letter. Teachers and faculty members who had previously felt pressured to return to the building for PHS’s hybrid model expressed gratitude at the district’s advocacy on their behalf.

“I appreciate that the superintendent was reaching out to the governor, and requesting that teachers get access to the vaccinations. And when all officials are calling for more increases in ...in-person schooling, it’s important that we try to make sure that the building is as safe as possible for everyone involved,” said PHS Biology teacher, Jayne Ricciardi.

Ricciardi also points out how the letter defines the role of teachers amidst the pandemic.

“I definitely agree that... we are being asked to do things that we didn’t necessarily sign up for when we agreed to be teachers…. But [the teachers] were really honestly concerned about the safety of ourselves and our families….I appreciate them calling us, essentially frontline workers,” Ricciardi said.

However, the availability of the vaccine remains a critical issue. The county began receiving a total of 1,500 vaccines per week as of January 28, 2021, which is 700 more than previously, as stated by County Executive Brian M. Hughes during his 2021 State of the County Address. Mercer County has a population of roughly 367,000. Currently, these additional doses will continue to go to the immunocompromised and the elderly.

“I sent in vaccination site plans in the county, and we’re offering PHS and PUMS as vaccination sites….Our nurses have been trained so that in the event that the vaccine becomes available...we’ll be able to [vaccinate] pretty quickly,” Galasso said.

Although the vaccination plan currently remains on hold, the process will undoubtedly be a key component to how the district will consider in-person learning in the future.

“[The vaccination of teachers] would be a more realistic [step] towards getting back to normal. But since it’s not necessarily an option now, I think making sure it’s an option for teachers to be virtual is also incredibly important because safety is the most important thing in the situation, over normalcy,” said Eli Edelman ’22.

Fortunately, the vaccination process itself is seamless. Both Ricciardi and Edelman have received it due to their underlying conditions.

“They gave me the vaccine, [and after] they gave me the date of... appointment for the second vaccine. So the fact that that part was so short, it makes it seem like ’oh, this should be so easy to do for everybody,’” Edelman said.

Galasso continues to praise the Princeton community for its resourcefulness as well as adaptability.

“We have had tremendous success in opening schools so far on our hybrid and remote schedule. And that’s due not only to good medical protocols and all the things that I described, but it’s the Princeton community at large and [if we didn’t] follow the science, we would not be in this situation,” Galasso said.

Governor Murphy recently tweeted that whenever the vaccine is more available, teachers will have a priority status.