Nearly 300 Atlanta Public Schools employees to be vaccinated Saturday

A couple hundred eligible Atlanta Public Schools employees will get the COVID-19 vaccine at a special clinic held this weekend.

A couple hundred eligible Atlanta Public Schools employees will get the COVID-19 vaccine at a special clinic held this weekend.

Several hundred Atlanta Public Schools employees signed up to get the COVID-19 vaccine at a special clinic for district workers on Saturday.

The vaccinations are limited to APS nurses, police officers and employees age 65 and older who signed up for a slot in advance. The event is organized by the Fulton County Board of Health and will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

APS said 280 employees are slated to get the vaccine Saturday. The district employs 3,004 teachers as part of its more than 6,000-person workforce.

The district plans to resume in-person classes Jan. 25 for about 13,000 students who opted to return. Some teachers and parents have urged APS to refrain from reopening school buildings until all employees have been vaccinated.

All Georgia residents age 65 and older are eligible to receive the vaccine as part of the state’s current phase of vaccine administration. But Saturday’s event is a chance for APS employees to receive it without having to jostle for in-demand spots alongside the larger public.

Younger teachers won’t be eligible to receive the vaccine until the state enters ”phase 1B” of the rollout, a timeline for which has yet to be announced.

A similar vaccination event for eligible Fulton County Schools employees will be held the same day.