PAUSD was selected as part of a priority vaccination program allowing all district employees to be vaccinated by the end of this week, according to an email sent by superintendent Don Austin today.

PAUSD’s inclusion in this program was a joint decision by the governor’s office and the Santa Clara County Office of Education. It will grant a guaranteed vaccination as early as this week to any PAUSD employee who has not already been vaccinated.

“All employees will receive a code from the county either tonight or first thing in the morning giving them a front-of-the-line pass for vaccination sites throughout our county,” Austin said. 

Austin said the program includes a select few school districts in the state, and that PAUSD was included because of its role in leading the reopening of campuses throughout Santa Clara County.

“We get priority because we’ve been leading the entire region in returning to in-person instruction,” Austin said. “The governor’s office realized that.”

Santa Clara County announced Feb. 17 that it would extend vaccinations to teachers and educators as part of California’s 1B vaccination phase, weeks behind neighboring counties such as San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties that began vaccinating teachers earlier in February.

According to the district’s FAQ page, all PAUSD employees are eligible for the vaccine free of charge, regardless of their specific occupation or individual county of residence. However, employees are not required to be vaccinated before returning to in-person instruction at the end of the week.