A rural county just north of Peoria is reporting early success getting its teachers vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Stark County CUSD 100 was able to vaccinate 107 employees with their first dose on Monday. Superintendent Brett Elliott said that's 83% of district employees.
"We're proud in the Stark County school district to be in school all year long, and this is just that next step to ensure that we can finish the school year," Elliott said.
Elliott credited Henry-Stark Emergency Services, Henry-Stark Health Department, and Angie Zarbell, the regional superintendent for the area, for the speedy rollout.
"We basically provided our numbers. We surveyed our staff of who would be interested, and we were fortunate," Elliott said. "It was a great turnout. It was a great team effort, and we're very fortunate to be a part of it."
Stark County CUSD 100 educates students in the Toulon, Lafayette, and Wyoming areas.
In larger districts, the vaccination process is proceeding differently. The Tri-County area is prioritizing people ages 65 and older.
Teachers are among those eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Illinois' 1B wave, along with other frontline, non-health care workers like those who work in manufacturing, public transit, or in grocery stores.
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