After Vaccinating Pittsburgh Public Schools Employees, Giant Eagle To Open Appointments At Heinz Field To All Educators
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - As Pittsburgh Public Schools staff received the COVID-19 vaccine, Giant Eagle said it will open the Heinz Field clinic to any educator in western Pennsylvania next week.
Giant Eagle will make thousands of appointments available starting Friday for Monday and Tuesday.
Before that, the clinic was for Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers. On Thursday, lines started early outside the stadium for the first teacher vaccination clinic.
WATCH: Nicole Ford Reports
"I just want to make sure I do my part so the kids can come back and see us," said Casey Plouffe, who's the Assistant Principal at PPS Sterrett.
He's one of the Pittsburgh Public Schools educators who rolled up their sleeves in the hope of getting back to normal.
"You know, a high five in the hallway, kids always want to run up and give you a hug. You know, just missing them, that's what you get into this for, and they are not there, it's a huge difference," Plouffe said.
On Thursday, Giant Eagle vaccinated about 30 percent of PPS's staff. It's part of a federal push to get kids back in the classroom. For these teachers, that's happening April 6.
"We know they want to be back with their students, but they have concerns, and rightfully so, but hopefully this eases and adds another level of mitigation strategy for us that will help," said PPS Superintendent Dr. Anthony Hamlet.
While Hamlet told KDKA he's hopefully optimistic about the return to school, some are still on edge.
"I still have reservations about going back because this is unknown. We don't know what's happening. We don't know how the shot is going to affect people or how well it's even going to take. It's a new normal that we have to adjust," said Marjorie Fulton Gallagher, who's a PPS paraprofessional school support.
But despite those reservations, the staff told KDKA they got the shot for the kids.
"Come April 6th, I'm looking forward to seeing the kids and looking forward to having a little bit of normalcy back in our lives," Fulton Gallagher said.
The rest of the Pittsburgh Public staff who wanted the vaccine got it from the state's J&J initiative coordinated by the Mt. Oliver Intermediate Unit at Obama Academy.
Appointments for other educators have to be scheduled online. It's for teachers in pre-K-12, and they have to have school IDs or a letter proving they work for a school district.
