Gov. Mike DeWine last week reminded school district officials who partnered with the state to make Covid-19 vaccine available to their teachers and qualified school personnel that they committed to returning to in-person learning by March 1st.

“The priorities of our vaccination program have been to save lives and to get our students back in classrooms. We know quite simply there is not enough vaccine. But we have prioritized vaccinating teachers in order to get students back in school, because too many are suffering academically and emotionally,” said Gov. DeWine. “School districts should honor the voluntary commitment they made to their students, their teachers, and their communities and open their classrooms if they chose to make vaccinations available to their staffs. By prioritizing school personnel, fewer doses are available to our older or more vulnerable Ohioans.”

In December, 45% of Ohio students were in fully remote schools. Last week that number was 5.1%. The number of districts that are fully remote has moved from 219 in the first week of January to only 31 this week.

Schools can re-open safely, the Centers fore Disease Control Prevention has announced. The process isn’t as simple as throwing the school doors wide open. The CDC listed necessary precautions, including mandatory masks for students and staff.

The CDC did not make mandatory that teachers be vaccinated, but rather have priority for vaccinations.