We are working hard to quickly and equitably support educators who want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As a reminder, DPS is currently prioritizing offering vaccines to:
- Frontline essential educators, including: teachers, paras, guest teachers/substitutes assigned to a school, afterschool staff, bus drivers, cafeteria staff, custodians and school administrators.
- School-based individuals over the age of 65.
- Those who are on health-related accommodations (either this semester or last semester) who are both school-based and in central office.
We have prioritized the order in which school-based staff will receive the vaccine first based on each school’s free or reduced-price meals (FRL) percentage rate. See the list of our highest-percentage schools. We are happy to share that we have already been able to offer appointments to more than 7,500 team members!
As we move quickly to offer vaccination appointments and provide detailed information to our team members, we know you are receiving questions from your teams, and we wanted to provide more information to help you answer those questions.
How can I support my team during this process?
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Remind employees to check their dpsk12.org email accounts daily. Official DPS communications, including vaccine information, are not sent to .net email addresses.
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Hang this poster in visible locations at worksites.
- Share testimonials, reminders and resources through your internal department channels, such as department newsletters.
What resources are available for my staff?
Information about DPS’ eligibility, prioritization and timeline for providing access to vaccines, frequently asked questions, and resources to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine are available at thecommons.dpsk12.org/covidvaccine. We encourage team members to speak with their personal health care provider if they have additional questions or concerns about the vaccine.
Some of my staff got an email that they can make an appointment to receive their vaccine. Why didn’t every school-based member of my team get this email? Why did some Central Office team members get this email?
At schools, individuals who responded either "no" or "maybe" (or did not reply) to the survey did not receive emails to sign up for vaccination appointments on the school’s vaccination day. We are starting with individuals who said "yes definitely" to the vaccine survey because filling every single appointment we are allocated is absolutely imperative to ensure that supply keeps flowing. (It is also the most efficient way to get to everyone who is so eager to get vaccinated.)
Team members who have a health accommodation, including those in the Central Office, have also been given the opportunity to schedule an appointment.
If you believe a member of your team should have received a message about this opportunity and didn't, please work with your supervisor to get them access to a vaccine as soon as possible.
If a team member answered “no” or “not yet” in the vaccination survey, but have changed their mind and want to get one now, how do they update their response?
Those who responded “no” or “maybe” and would like to change their response should email HR_Connect@dpsk12.org using this template. Due to inquiry volume, HR Connect will not respond to these emails but new responses will be recorded.
Can I see a list of team members who will be getting the vaccine?
We do not always know who has signed up for a vaccine or who has gotten a vaccine. Our role is to ensure that our employees have access to the opportunity. You can help us with this process by working with your supervisor to ensure that all members of your team who would like to receive a vaccine are provided access to one as quickly as possible.
Does my staff need to use sick or vacation time for my vaccination appointment? What if they feel sick and need to take time off after vaccination?
All staff will receive their normal pay for their vaccination day, and they do not need to request time off in the system to attend the appointment. When entering their time in TruePay, they should designate vaccination time as "Non Worked Approve"' time.
Leave accruals, such as sick, vacation, personal time or sick leave bank (if enrolled) will be used for sick time off due to vaccine-related symptoms. If team members do not have enough accrued time, they should email leaveofabsence@dpsk12.org to determine a compensation option. They must enter sick time in Truepay like they would for other time off requests and select Emergency Leave when submitting.
Some members of my team have an accommodation. If they receive the vaccine, do they need to return to their in-person assignment this school year?
No, an employee’s accommodation will not be canceled because they got the vaccine.
How will different health protocols, such as quarantining and cohorting, change when staff are vaccinated.
We are currently working with our health partners to answer this question. As COVID cases decrease in our community, we anticipate that these protocols will be revised, though we do not know when that will happen. Until formal guidance is provided by CDPHE, we will maintain our existing protocols.
