Cedar Rapids high schools offering all students COVID-19 vaccine

The Cedar Rapids Community School District is offering the Pfizer vaccine to all current high school students Friday, after it was approved for children ages 12 through 15 earlier this week.

Students will receive their second dose on the last day of school, June 4.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the district offered the vaccine to students 16 and older.

In a district newsletter Friday, Superintendent Noreen Bush said the high school nursing teams put together a plan to vaccinate high school students during the school day for students who want the option.

“Access to vaccinations brings a sense of peace; and our nurses developing a plan for access is not only an opportunity — it is an act of humanity. They make our district a better place for everyone,” Bush said in the newsletter.

Written parental consent is required for students to be vaccinated.

On Monday, the Federal Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Disease Control approved the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12 through 15. It was approved last year for people 16 and older.

The Iowa City Community School District is working with Johnson County Public Health to get students who are eligible vaccinated.

During a school board meeting Tuesday, Iowa City schools chief operating officer Chase Ramey said the district will not be able to hold vaccine clinics at schools for 12- to 15-year-olds.

Ramey voiced concern about ensuring parental consent for younger students and the fast-approaching end of the school year.

The last day of school for Iowa City students is June 11.

Iowa City schools held a vaccine clinic for students 16 and older on May 7. Parental consent was required.

Johnson County Public Health is working to set up vaccine clinics for children, and the district may be able help families get to those clinics later this spring and summer, Ramey said.

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