Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he had a deal with school districts: The state would vaccinate K-12 teachers from COVID-19 if schools pledged to resume in-person learning in some form by March 1.
During an unexpected news conference Friday evening, DeWine said some districts are going back on the deal after teachers received their first doses, including Cincinnati Public Schools.
"We learned this week that Walnut Hills High School will remain remote the entire year," DeWine said. "That simply is not acceptable."
Expressing concern especially for children in large city school districts, DeWine said his administration has learned that some children have fallen behind in remote learning, and in effect "have been out of school for over a year.”
"There are social and mental health consequences," he said of remote learning. "That's why we prioritized vaccines for schools -- otherwise, they'd go to a more vulnerable group."
The governor cited CDC guidance and Ohio's own studies that have shown classroom environments are safe -- even if students sit fewer than six feet apart, and if teachers are not fully vaccinated -- as long as everyone masks up.