Duval School employees can get free COVID vaccines, boosters and flu shots from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the district’s headquarters. Jacksonville-based grocery store chain Winn-Dixie is giving out the shots and $10 grocery store gift cards per shot.
Non-school employees are eligible to get those gift cards with a flu shot or COVID vaccine at Winn-Dixie stores as well.
But for school staff there’s another incentive to getting vaccinated. This week, the Duval County School Board agreed to give $200 checks and an extra 40 hours of paid COVID-19 emergency leave to staff members who get a COVID vaccine or have an eligible medical or religious exemption.
The school board shot down a similar measure earlier this month in a tie vote, partly because of a clause that said the district would eventually mandate vaccines. That sentence was removed from the agreement the board signed off on during a special board meeting Tuesday.
The school district doesn’t know how many staff are currently vaccinated against COVID, but is in the process of finding out, according to public records coordinator Nichole Thompson. School staff have until next Friday to report their vaccination status to the district and until the end of January to get the shot to qualify for the $200 checks.
There have been 25 COVID cases among school staff so far this month, according to district data.
