State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is hosting a virtual vaccine townhall as schools are opening back up during the COVID-19 pandemic, to have important conversations around a safe return to in-person learning.

Joining Thurmond is a group of public health experts, youth leaders, and celebrity guests to promote the effectiveness of the vaccine and its public health benefits.

The goal of the event is to reach at least one million Californians and have an impact on boosting vaccination rates for the benefit of schools and communities. The Virtual Vaccine Town Hall will include Spanish language and American Sign Language interpretation service and be accessible by teleconference and viewable by Zoom webinar and on the California Department of Education Facebook Live.

Guests will join Superintendent Thurmond to provide current data and public health information as well as share personal battles to combat COVID-19 misinformation and anti-vaccine sentiments, especially within some of the hardest-hit communities of the state. The virtual two-way town hall format will allow Californians of all ages to tune in and get their questions answered from these California experts and icons.

“We are encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. Children as young as twelve are now eligible to get vaccinated, and the safety of our communities and schools is dependent on increasing vaccination rates,” said  Thurmond. “While California is leading the nation in vaccinations, with more than 44 million doses administered and close to 75 percent of the eligible population having received at least one dose, California is seeing increasing numbers of unvaccinated people being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and dying. This increase is heavily due to the Delta variant, which is more contagious and a very real threat. Now is the time to get vaccinated!”

As an incentive to the public, individuals will be able to take part in a gift card giveaway for town hall attendees who get the vaccine.

Wednesday’s Virtual Vaccine Town Hall on Supporting a Safe Back-to-School will feature appearances by youth leaders and:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA Legend, Author, and California Education Ambassador
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s Surgeon General and an award-winning Physician, Researcher, and Advocate dedicated to childhood trauma
Dr. Naomi Bardach, State Lead of Safe Schools for All Team and Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Policy in the Department of Pediatrics and the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco
Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights Leader and California Education Ambassador
Dr. Karen Korematsu, Educator, Activist, and California Education Ambassador

The public is encouraged to register early for the live webinar at the link below and may submit questions in advance to communications@cde.ca.gov.

The virtual townhall will start at 6 p.m. Wednesday Aug 11, and roughly last an hour. To register in advance visit the zoom link, or the California Department of Education’s Facebook page. Teleconference options are also available by calling (855) 756-7520.