Arlington Heights High School graduate Isaack Knapp wants things to go back to normal, he said, but he understands how serious the pandemic has been.
“For my 18th birthday, I wanted to go hang out with some friends, but I wasn’t able to because my dad had COVID,” Knapp said. “That really sucked.”
Knapp, a first-year student at Texas Wesleyan University, was one of many who received a vaccine this week at Arlington Heights. The Fort Worth Independent School District administered Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines at 14 campuses.
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use on children between 12 and 15, the school district collaborated with Perrone Pharmacy to supply 180 doses to each of the campuses.
Arlington Heights High School hosted a vaccination clinic for students and their families on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Arrows directing people to the clinic were taped across campus. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
The Arlington Heights High School cafeteria was used to set up the clinic. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Perrone Pharmacy billed insurance providers, but people with no insurance received a shot regardless, owner Paula Perrone said. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Vaccine recipients had to fill out a medical information sheet prior to receiving their shots. All children under 18 needed a parent present to receive the vaccination. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Paula Perrone, owner of Perrone Pharmacy, helped families with the registration process. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
The owner Paula Perrone helped with getting patients signed in. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Wait times at the clinic were not long – a designated waiting space was implemented. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Perrone Pharmacy supplied each vaccination clinic with 180 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine was authorized for emergency use in December 2020. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination were prepped and distributed by Perrone Pharmacy workers. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
The dose of the vaccine was extracted from a vial into a syringe. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Perrone Pharmacy employees administered the vaccines. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Perrone Pharmacy workers gave children their vaccination cards. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Perrone Pharmacy workers were in charge of administering the shots. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Used needles, cotton swabs and other medical waste was disposed of in red bins. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
Vaccinated people were asked to wait 15 minutes so that pharmacy employees could monitor their reaction to the shot. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto) 
The vaccination site had arrows directing people where to enter and exit from. (Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto)
Perrone Pharmacy previously partnered with local private high schools to provide vaccines for students and their families, owner Paula Perrone said. Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD partnered with the pharmacy first and Fort Worth ISD followed.
“It’s all about local, you know, being involved in your community, and helping your community,” Perrone said. “Love your community, and they’ll love you back.”
Arlington Heights freshman Thomas Spradlin, 15, received the shot this week about as early as anyone his age in the country. Until a little over a week ago, the vaccine age requirement was 16.
“I signed him up here because it is at school. It is super convenient,” Mary Spradlin, Thomas’ mother, said. “There was a slot right when school was ending so that just made it easy, and I didn’t want to put it off — we’re ready to have him vaccinated.”
Fifteen-year old Alex Olguin also received his vaccination at Arlington Heights. Olguin is attending school in person this year, and he wanted to get vaccinated to add an extra layer of safety, he said.
“I wanted to do it just to be safe,” Olguin said. “It’ll be safer for us and the faculty.”
The district is planning on providing the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on June 9, before students are released for the summer. Perrone Pharmacy is expected to host another round of vaccination clinics in August before the next school year begins, Perrone said.
To sign up for a vaccination appointment with Fort Worth ISD, visit the booking page.
Cristian ArguetaSoto is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at cristian.arguetasoto@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter.
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