Dear Parents/Guardians,
The FDA and CDC have recommended COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11 years old. We encourage you to have your child vaccinated to protect themselves, your family, and the school community. North Adams Public Schools would like to provide you with current information and resources, including our upcoming vaccination clinics.
While COVID-19 is generally less serious for school-age children than for older adults, children can become infected, and some may get very sick or suffer serious complications. Children can spread COVID-19 to others. Fortunately, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was approved for individuals ages 12 and up prior to the start of this school year and has been recently approved for children ages 5 to 11. The COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective against infection, serious illness, hospitalization, and death. Over 70 percent of Massachusetts youth ages 12-17 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Getting your child vaccinated will help limit COVID-19 spread in our school and community, and it can help keep your child and their peers in school.
Please speak to your child’s doctor about their plans to administer the vaccine and raise any questions or concerns you have about the vaccine and your child.
Vaccination Clinics for children aged 5 to 11 years old
There will be two vaccination clinics through the Department of Public Health hosted by North Adams Public Schools:
● Friday, November 19th: 3:30 - 6:00 pm at Colegrove Park Elementary Schoo
(2nd dose on 12/10)
● Wednesday, December 1st: 3:30 - 6:00 pm at Greylock Elementary School
(2nd dose on 12/22)
To register your 5-11 year old, go to: https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/berkshire.
All children need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to the vaccination clinic to provide consent. Plan to stay for 15 minutes following the administration of the vaccine.
As a reminder:
- The COVID vaccine is free for all, and no ID or insurance is needed to be vaccinated;
- Getting a vaccine will not impact your or your family’s immigration status. The Public Charge rule does NOT apply to getting the vaccine.
In addition to our clinics through the DPH, there are also hundreds of vaccination sites across the state that have indicated their willingness to vaccinate children 5 to 11. Many accept walk-in appointments, including CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, Market Basket, Stop and Shop, other grocery chains, and community health centers. More information on these sites, as well as safety information and helpful questions and answers, are all available at www.mass.gov/covidvaccine.
If you have students who are 12 and older, you can schedule a vaccination for your child at any existing site by going to: https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/.
Getting your family vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones. We appreciate your help to keep all of our students, faculty, staff, and volunteers, as well as our community, safe and healthy this fall and all year long.
Sincerely,
Barbara Malkas, Ed.D.
Superintendent