Conn. (WTNH) -- School officials in Derby and Ansonia are working to get eligible students vaccinated.
Ansonia and Derby Public Schools are partnering with Naugatuck Valley Health District and Griffin Hospital to get eligible kids vaccinated and according to the superintendent in Ansonia, the goal is to have kids vaccinated by the beginning of May ahead of prom and graduation.
RELATED: How CT residents 16 and older can register for the COVID vaccine starting April 1
Ansonia Public School students have been back since January, but only for part of the day. They are dismissed by 12:30 pm, so the learning process has been shortened for students. District leaders say they want to maximize learning time for students both in Derby and in Ansonia.
Teachers and other school professionals were vaccinated in both valley cities and students are next in line. District leaders are working to have between 300-400 students between Derby and Ansonia vaccinated between April 19 and May 7, adding the sooner they can offer the opportunity, the better.
"For some students, remote learning is like a heaven-sent for some who are more independent and self-starting, motivated kids, but we have seen that nothing replaces having a student in the classroom so what we’re trying to do is get kids in front of their teachers as much as possible," Dr. Joseph DiBacco, superintendent of Ansonia Public Schools.
At the state level, Governor Ned Lamont's administration is helping to coordinate the effort. "So for high school and college base, we’re going to be bringing the clinics, we’re going to be bringing the mobile vans to you to make sure that you can get vaccinated safely and that we can keep the school year going.”
Derby and Ansonia Public Schools aren’t the only districts working towards getting their eligible students vaccinated. Officials in New Haven say there are talks of the same opportunity for high schoolers in the Elm City.