I joined 34 colleagues in the legislature, led by Rep. Andy X. Vargas and Senator Adam Gomez to call on Charlie Baker to prioritize low-income school districts like Malden in pool-testing and the vaccine roll out in phase 2.
Our community and others like it have been hit especially hard by the pandemic, and our students are no exception. Not only do local low-income families struggle to pay for child care as their children learn from home, they also face barriers to technology and quality internet access that make virtual classrooms significantly harder to access.
Any equitable plan to vaccinate students must consider these barriers, and prioritize testing and vaccination for those who will benefit most from a return to safe in-person-- that means communities like Malden.
Please join me in calling on Governor Baker to put equity first and prioritize low-income school districts like ours in the testing and vaccination!