About 80 GOLCS Students Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — Nearly 80 children ages 5-11 received their Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines at Great Oaks Legacy Charter School (GOLCS) last week as part of an ongoing effort to provide access and resources to the school community.

This comes less than one week after GOLCS held a vaccination town hall for families, where local medical doctors and health professionals participated and spoke to families about the vaccine. The school then moved quickly to set up vaccination clinics on Nov. 15-16 at its S. 16th Street campus based on strong parent interest.

"For us, this is about providing education about COVID-19 and access to the vaccine itself," said Jared Taillefer, the Executive Director of the school. "We are taking a thoughtful, proactive approach to make sure our parents have all their questions answered and feel comfortable with what they decide to do for their children regarding the vaccine."

In the spring, GOLCS joined with University Hospital and Newark Beth Israel to host vaccination events for its staff. The result has led to nearly 99 percent of GOLCS staff having received the vaccine.

The school also held a clinic for parents and older students in May.

While COVID-19 vaccines are not mandatory for GOLCS students, Taillefer emphasized the importance of families having all the facts about the vaccine to make an informed decision for their child.