x
Breaking News
More () »

A 70-yr-old SA educator is risking his health to teach students in-person. He doesn't know when he'll be vaccinated.

The local educator is faced with a difficult decision everyday, but he risks his health and chooses to show up for the students. He's left waiting to get a vaccine.

SAN ANTONIO — For about seven years, 70-year-old Felix Rosel, a former Bexar County law enforcement officer, has been teaching Pre-K and kindergarten students within Alamo Heights ISD. Occasionally, he jumps in to teach at the junior level too. 

Rosel's 69-year-old wife, Nancy, also works in the district as a cafeteria employee. While she doesn't have underlying health issues, he does—and the couple discusses the risks of him going to work every day as the coronavirus pandemic stretches into 2021 and vaccines remain in short supply. 

But Rosel's role is more important now than ever; he says more and more teachers are calling in sick. 

“We have a commitment to students. We made this commitment to get out there and help the teachers,” he said. “The full-time teachers are under a lot of stress there, and there’s just a lot going on.”

Rosel has tried to sign up to get a vaccine appointment, but he doesn’t have the luxury to check multiple times online or make frequents calls while tied up at school.

“I don’t have time to make a thousand calls, 2,000 calls,” he said. “I think it’s pretty ridiculous that we put our seniors – people that are older than me, and I’m 70 – through that.”

Vaccines continue to arrive in limited supply for San Antonio and Bexar County, and local leaders have expressed frustration as demand remains high. This week, University Health is able to vaccinate some staff members at local schools districts who fall under the state’s 1A and 1B tiers. People who qualify are staff members who have health care roles and are 65 or older, or anyone 16 and older with at least one chronic medical condition. 

The districts that are part of that effort are Alamo Heights, East Central, Edgewood, Harlandale, Judson, Northeast ISD, Northside ISD, San Antonio ISD and Southwest ISD. 

A county spokesperson said in a press release that districts are prioritizing and scheduling those who will receive the limited number of doses. Anyone who works in the listed districts should contact their district office for questions about scheduling.

“I’m just gonna have to wait until it becomes available to me,” Rosel said. “I’m just another frustrated individual in Bexar County, San Antonio and the nation.”

Before You Leave, Check This Out