School employees will soon have access to vaccines thanks to a recent federal push to protect educators from the coronavirus.

“It’s super news,” said Ron Goodman, Libby superintendent, on March 5. “This is going to be a game-changer for us.”

As part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, staff from Libby Public Schools can receive their first doses of the vaccine from Granite Pharmacy on March 18 and 19. The pharmacy would administer second doses on April 16 and 17.

Troy Public Schools employees will also be able to receive doses from Granite Pharmacy. As of March 6, Superintendent Jacob Francom was unsure of the district's vaccination dates.

Goodman said he expected all employees who wanted vaccines would be able to receive them through the program. As of March 5, he was still working to compile a list of interested staff members.

Francom was also uncertain of how many Troy school staff would be receiving doses under the federal program.

Under Montana’s current vaccination phase, many essential workers, including teachers, are not eligible to receive doses. President Joe Biden’s administration established the vaccine program to speed up the reopening of schools while protecting educators.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana), who pushed for teacher vaccinations, said in a March 5 statement that it was clear from conversations he had had with parents, students and teachers that Montanans shared the goal of fully reopening schools as quickly as possible.

Troy Public Schools have remained open since August. Apart from two short-term closures, Libby Public Schools have remained open for in-person classes throughout the school year. Nevertheless, vaccinating staff under the federal program could allow the district to relax public health measures sooner than it would have under the state’s vaccination plan.

During a March 1 meeting, Libby school board members debated switching from a mask requirement to a mask recommendation in May. At the meeting, Goodman said that it was too early to decide the policy.

Following the announcement of the federal vaccine program, Goodman said getting staff fully immunized would be a critical step towards adopting a more lenient stance on masks.

The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program is a public-private partnership with 21 national pharmacy partners and a network of independent pharmacies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program will roll out vaccines incrementally based on available supply. As the system continues to scale, it will include over 40,000 retail locations nationwide making it easier for individuals to receive free vaccines at their local pharmacies.