Dear District 86 Community,

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Pfizer vaccine for use in people ages 12 to 15. As a result, the following groups are invited to participate in the vaccination events being held on May 20 and 26:

  • Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors from our district and several of our peer districts in DuPage County.
  • Eligible students from our feeder districts.
  • The children of employees from our district and our feeder districts who are 12 or older.

Below is additional information about these events.

  • We will be administering 6,000 doses of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine that we secured through our partnership with Osco.

  • Eligible individuals will receive their first shot of the vaccine on May 20 at Hinsdale Central (5500 South Grant Street in Hinsdale) or May 26 at Downers Grove South (1436 Norfolk St in Downers Grove). Inoculations on both days will take place between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

  • Anyone who receives the first shot of the vaccine will automatically be scheduled for their second one, which will take place on the same day, at the same time and in the same location 21 days later. So, for example, if your student receives their first shot at Hinsdale Central on Thursday, May 20, at 10 a.m., they will receive the second one at Central on Thursday, June 10, at 10 a.m. This means that no additional steps are required to schedule the second appointment. This also means that students should only be signed up for this opportunity if they are available to receive the second shot exactly three weeks after the first one.

  • All inoculations will be provided free of charge.
 
If you would like your student to get vaccinated, please use Osco's online portal to schedule their appointment. The link for the session on May 20 can be accessed by visiting https://bit.ly/2PB1KDI and the link for the session on May 26 can be accessed by visiting https://bit.ly/3xzik8k. Parents/guardians are welcome to accompany their students to these sessions.

If your student turned or will be turning 12 between May 1 and May 20 (if scheduling an appointment at Hinsdale Central) or May 26 (if scheduling an appointment at Downers Grove South), please use May 1 as their birth date when signing them up via the portal, and their actual birth date on the consent form referenced further down in this communication. This will enable you to circumvent a glitch with Osco’s portal that is preventing people who reach the eligible age after May 1 from registering for this opportunity. 
 
When scheduling an appointment, please select a day and time that will allow for the 45 minutes needed to complete the entire process - i.e., arrive on-site, wait in line, present the required documentation, receive the vaccination and be monitored for at least 15 minutes following the injection. In addition, please do not forward or share the portal links with others. We want to make sure that we have enough doses of the vaccine for the members of our community.

I realize that some of you might have questions or concerns about the vaccination process. With this in mind, the following links will take you to information that you may find helpful.

 
I also recommend speaking to your health care provider if you have specific questions or concerns about your student receiving the vaccine.

Below is information about the tasks that must be completed before getting vaccinated, and the steps that students will need to follow on the day of their appointment. Please contact me at tprentis@hinsdale86.org if you have any questions about this information or the vaccination process in general.

Sincerely,

Tammy Prentiss
Superintendent

Steps to Complete Prior to the Vaccination Appointment
Families need to complete the following tasks prior to their student's appointment.

  • Print out and complete the Informed Consent for Immunization form. This form must be turned in to the staff from Osco when students arrive for their appointment, and be signed by a parent/guardian if a student is under the age of 18. If the consent form cannot be completed in advance, there will be print copies available on-site on May 20 and 26. However, students under the age of 18 must still have their parents/guardians sign the form in order to get vaccinated. Osco has also provided information about V-safe, which is a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after people receive a COVID-19 vaccination, and a fact sheet about the vaccine from Pfizer. The document about V-safe and the fact sheet are strictly informational and do not require any action. 

  • If possible, please make a copy of the front and back of your family's medical insurance card. If you are unable to make a copy, you or your student will need to bring the actual card to the appointment. If you do not have insurance, your student can still receive the vaccine. You or your student just need to let the staff from Osco know about your insurance status when you check in for the appointment.

  • If applicable, students are asked to please let their teachers know what time their appointment is, and arrange to make up any work they miss.

Process and Logistics for Receiving the Vaccine
Below are the steps that everyone must follow on the day they receive the vaccine.

  • Students will not need to take any precautionary steps or measures (e.g., fasting) prior to their appointment. However, we ask that they please wear clothing (e.g., a shirt with sleeves that are short or loose fitting) that will enable the staff member from Osco to quickly and easily administer the vaccine to the upper portion of their arm near the shoulder. 

  • In order to ensure that we can maintain a distance of at least 6 feet between those who are being vaccinated, we ask that everyone please come at their scheduled time. People will not be permitted to get in line if they arrive early for their appointment. 

  • Those who are attending the session at Hinsdale Central will enter the building through Door 5, which is located on Grant Street. Those who are attending the session at Downers Grove South will access the building through Door 32, which is the entrance on Dunham at the circle.

  • When students arrive for their appointment, they and any parent/guardian who is accompanying them must wear a mask and practice social distancing at all times. They or their parent/guardian must also have the following items:

  1. Informed Consent for Immunization form if they are able to complete it in advance.
  2. If they have medical insurance, they will either need a copy of the front and back of the insurance card or the actual card itself. If they do not have insurance, they need to let the staff from Osco know that when they check in.

  • Students and any parent/guardian who is accompanying them will check in when they enter the school and be directed to the location in the building where the vaccine is being administered. When they arrive in that location, they will check in with the staff from Osco and present their documentation. After checking in with the staff from Osco, they will be asked to sit until the student’s name is called. 

  • When the student’s name is called, they will proceed to one of the vaccination stations and receive their injection. After receiving their injection, they will need to wait in that location for approximately 15 minutes for monitoring purposes. When the 15 minutes is up, they are free to leave.