It is quite remarkable to return to school and the only space where masking is required is my health office. Remarkable in an alarming way, not a “how amazing and fortunate are we” kind of sensation. I have managed to evade COVID for almost three years, but I am not so sure that will continue. It struck me that our only layer of protection left is vaccination and boosters, especially the most recent release of the bivalent COVID vaccine booster.  

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has developed a national campaign to promote vaccine confidence. There are specific toolkits available for many communities, but one specifically for schools! The resources are free to download and available in multiple languages. Let’s do this!

This toolkit has resources for school district leaders, teachers, parent leaders, and school supporters that want to help increase confidence in and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in their school communities, answer questions, and outline school guidance about COVID-19. It includes information from CDC and new, tailored materials from the HHS COVID-19 Public Education Campaign. 

HHS School Communities Toolkit