The Frederick County public school system in Maryland aims to have students back in classrooms full-time for the fall semester.
In a Wednesday night school board meeting, Superintendent Theresa Alban said the approval of the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents 12 and up means there’s nothing stopping the Maryland school district from returning to normal soon.
“Our goal for the 21-22 opening is that we’re going to have our students back for five days a week, for the full school day. We know that means there will be no social distancing,” Alban said.
“We now know vaccines will be available for children 12 and older, that’s going to be critically important for us to be able to have these five, full days with an in-person opportunity.”
Still, Alban plans to preserve a virtual learning option for students and teachers who prefer it. Specific plans for in-person learning, she added, will be developed with the input of health officials over summer break.
Frederick County began offering the Pfizer vaccine for younger teens starting May 13 on nationwide approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s immunization advisory committee.
As of Thursday, the Frederick County Health Department has opened appointments for children ages 12 and up at its publicly-run Oak Street clinic. See the health department’s website for more information on how to schedule a vaccine.
Local pharmacies and grocery chains, including CVS and Walgreens, are also now vaccinating Marylanders age 12 and older.
