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The priority is also aimed at helping minimize disruption for families and the \"ping-pong\" effect of going between remote and in-person learning, he said. \"We think this is going to be a step in the right direction,\" Herbert said.

Other states have educators in phase 2 -- when phase 1 is complete and vaccines are more widely available, but still not accessible to the general public. Colorado's vaccination plan has teachers, along with other essential workers and high-risk populations, in its phase 2. Critical infrastructure workers, including educators, are in phase 2 of Maryland's plan, officials announced this week.

Louisiana and Tennessee are also among those states that have K-12 teachers and school staff in phase 2 of their draft vaccination plans.

State plans could still change, as the ACIP continues to release guidance.

Within a state, certain counties -- and, as a result, school districts -- may also be prioritized to receive doses. Depending on availability, vaccines may be rolled out based on risk factors like the highest death rates per capita. That's an approach Illinois is taking for its first distribution of doses.

Schools gearing up

Even if schools know which phase their staff will be in, it may be unclear when that phase will commence.

\"We have limited knowledge at this point,\" Burke Royster, superintendent of Greenville County Schools in South Carolina, told ABC News on Wednesday. \"We have a general idea of the priority.\"

\"There's extremely limited information and knowledge about the vaccine itself,\" Angela Horrison-Collier, director of student services for Clayton County Public Schools in Georgia, told ABC News on Wednesday. \"The guidance for it is changing daily, based upon what's happening by the developers, and how it will be distributed as a whole.\"

Utah Gov. Herbert said Thursday that he expects teachers will be able to start vaccination by the end of December or the first part of January. Colorado puts its phase 2, which includes teachers, in the spring.

\"PHOTO:
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
PHOTO: A teacher speaks to students at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 in New York on Dec. 7, 2020.
>

As schools await additional guidance, they're preparing and looking to work with their local health officials to help distribute vaccines.

Horrison-Collier said that their schools -- which have been operating remotely since March -- could serve as possible drive-thru sites, like it has in the past for the flu vaccine.

Royster and Lubelfeld also are looking into having their districts serve as vaccination sites.

\"I made it clear with our local county officials that we will yield our property, our campuses, anything to aid and increase the chances of getting the vaccinations into people's arms,\" Lubelfeld said. \"We're used to logistics -- we do pickup and drop-off every day.\"

Vaccinations likely won't mean a complete return to normal in the classroom. Royster anticipates his school district will be able to increase the number of days students are in person, particularly for high schoolers, who are currently on campus two days a week if they elected in-person learning. A vaccine may also help with staffing, he said.

\"One of our big challenges right now is making sure we have enough employees to provide the appropriate level of supervision,\" he said. \"Because another challenge during this pandemic has been we have far fewer substitute teachers than we normally have.\"

Horrison-Collier expects their schools will employ measures like face coverings and social distancing, in addition to vaccination.

\"We don't know the overall impact that the vaccine will have,\" she said. \"It may increase some level of comfort for individuals coming back into the schoolhouse. But we know all of those things that we're putting in place to mitigate COVID-19 will still be important.\"

ABC News' Matt Fuhrman contributed to this report.

Editor's note: The number of students in North Shore School District 112 has been corrected.

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