Give vaccine priority to this group of N.J. teachers | Letters Updated Feb 08, 2021; Facebook Share Over the many months of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve heard a consistent message from the governor’s office: New Jersey public schools should be open, if they can safely be open. Yet, we’ve also heard this contrary message: Teachers, as well as others who work in New Jersey’s public schools, are not a priority for the COVID vaccine. Adding to that mixed message is the quandary facing the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey, as well as other public school districts serving students with severe disabilities. We are asked to work with the most medically fragile population in a face-to-face setting, yet we are still not warranted any priority status for vaccine.