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Columbus City Schools Will Host COVID Vaccine Clinics In Every Elementary School

Parker McKenzie, 10, right, receives a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from nurse practitioner Amy Wahl with distraction help from certified child life specialist Haylee Rogers during the first COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Franklin County for children age 5-11 at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021.
Paul Vernon
/
AP
Parker McKenzie, 10, right, receives a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from nurse practitioner Amy Wahl with distraction help from certified child life specialist Haylee Rogers during the first COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Franklin County for children age 5-11 at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021.

Columbus City Schools plans to host COVID-19 vaccine clinics for 5-to-11 year old students at every district elementary school, as part of a partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Columbus Public Health.

“It’s our responsibility to at least provide the opportunity for all of our students,” Superintendent Dr. Talissa Dixon said at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

The district will host about 70 clinics at every elementary school the week of December 13, with students getting their second dose the week of January 3.

Parents wanting their children to get vaccinated have to return a signed consent form by December 7.

At least two elementary schools are getting a head start on others: Livingston and Moler Elementary schools will host vaccine clinics on Thursday.

The district has about 22,000 students between the ages of 5 and 11-years-old.

Steve Brown grew up in nearby Richwood, Ohio and now lives there with his wife and sons. He started his journalism career as a weekend board operator at WOSU while majoring in journalism at Ohio State, where he also wrote for the student newspaper The Lantern and co-founded the organization Students for Public Broadcasting.