In partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Columbus Public Health, Columbus City Schools is providing all students age 16 and older with the opportunity to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine beginning April 26.

The District will host free regional COVID-19 vaccination clinics for all CCS students who meet the age requirement at four designated high school sites: Beechcroft, Briggs, Independence and Whetstone. As part of the vaccination rollout, Columbus City Schools will provide yellow bus transportation to get students to and from the school sites on each clinic day. 

STUDENT VACCINES FAQ/FACT SHEET

“The opportunity to partner with Columbus Public Health and Nationwide Children's Hospital to vaccinate our students 16 and older is a way to be part of the community mitigation effort to defeat this virus and protect students and staff in our District,” said Columbus City Schools Superintendent/CEO Dr. Talisa Dixon.

Students will receive the Pfizer vaccine, which requires two doses, as that is the only vaccine currently approved for this age group. Students will be able to receive the first dose of the vaccine based on their Cohort schedule. The vaccination clinics will be staffed by Nationwide Children’s and Columbus Public Health and supported by CCS School Nurses. 

“Vaccines are one of the best ways we can help protect students and their families from COVID-19,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts. “We are proud to work with our partners at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Columbus City Schools to provide this unique vaccine opportunity for eligible students in addition to appointments at our drive-thru vaccine clinic at the Celeste Center.”

Clinics will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The goal is to distribute up to 6,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for CCS students.

“Vaccination is a safe and important step in combating COVID-19 and getting students back into an in-person school routine,” said Sara Bode, MD, primary care physician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and medical director of the hospital’s Care Connection School Health and Mobile Clinics. “We’re happy to partner with Columbus City Schools and Columbus Public Health to get COVID-19 vaccines to students, and our goal is to get a vaccine to every student who wants one before the beginning of next school year.”

The District has created an online registration process for families to register, provide consent, and select their requested appointment time. Families will receive an automated email with instructions and the sign-up link to reserve their appointment and sign the consent form. Parents who wish to have their student, age 16 and older, receive the Pfizer vaccine must fill out a consent form before they will be permitted to receive the vaccine. The opportunity to receive the vaccine is entirely optional, and parents would need to sign off before any students under the age of 18 are vaccinated. 

“As we know, the COVID-19 vaccine is an extra layer of protection when combined with the implementation and adherence to the multi-layered health protocols in place in our schools,” added Dixon.

Here is a helpful and informative article from an infectious disease expert at Nationwide Children's Hospital that dispels common myths about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Click here for additional Community Partners, Resources and Facts about the COVID-19 Vaccine.