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FROM LEFT: John Erickson, 10, (inset) and Willa, 5, and Naomi Cronin, 6, were among the many children who received their first dose

of Pfizer’s pediatric COVID vaccine the first week it was available. (PHOTOS: BETHANY ERICKSON AND JODEE NEIL)

CHRISTMAS GETS A SHOT IN THE ARM

COVID vaccinations for younger children could bring holidays closer to normal

By Bethany Erickson and Rachel Snyder

People Newspapers

With the arrival of a pediatric COVID vaccination regimen that can immunize children ages 5 through 11, some parents are breathing a sigh of relief.

Others are not so sure.

“I have never felt more relieved or grateful than the moment my youngest child received that shot,” said one parent who took part in a 48-hour, unscientific flash poll conducted by People Newspapers shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made its announcement. “I get choked up every time I think about having a Christmas celebration this year with every one of my loved ones fully vaccinated. “

About 58% of the 41 parents who responded said they felt the vaccine was safe, and 53.7% said they felt relief that there was a vaccine available for younger children now (29% percent said they were angry). Among respondents with children ages 5-11, 31% said they have already had their first dose, and about 17% said they are making appointments or have appointments. irty-six percent said they wouldn’t be vaccinating at all.

“If you have questions, if you have concerns, the best thing you can do is talk to your pediatrician,” said Dr. Stephanie Atiyeh, a physician with Medical City Children’s Hospital.

Atiyeh said that the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics have advocated for children getting the vaccine.

“ e more people who are vaccinated, the more herd immunity we have, the sooner we can get back to kids being in school, not having to use masks in public places,” she said.

Dallas ISD moved quickly to set up a series of vaccination clinics for children ages 5 and older once the CDC announcement came, hopeful that the quick action would mitigate potential spread during the holiday season. e mask requirements the district set out will remain indefinitely, though.

“Data shows our mask requirement has helped keep the percentage of positive cases down, and Dallas ISD is one of the districts with the lowest transmission rates compared to districts without one,” a district spokesperson said. “For now, we will continue the mask protocol for students, staff, and visitors inside facilities. e district plans to reassess that in mid-December.

Highland Park ISD isn’t reassessing its COVID-19 protocols at this point but partnered with Tom umb/Albertsons to set up a vaccination clinic for students and staff hosted Nov. 13 for first doses and Dec. 4 for second doses at University Park Elementary.

VAXXED, NOT VEXED

What is fully vaccinated? • Two weeks after the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer or Moderna) • Two weeks after the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine

What if my child only has one dose? If everyone else is fully vaccinated, it’s probably very safe to gather without a layered approach.

What’s a layered approach? If gathering in a high transmission area, or not everyone is vaccinated, a layered approach (testing, vaccinating, masks, meeting outdoors when possible, proper ventilation, sick people staying at home, smaller celebrations) is best.

Sources: Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, “Your Local Epidemiologist”/CDC

Teacher Deemed a Sex Offender

Editor’s warning: is story contains dis-

turbing details.

A 43-year-old Flower Mound music instructor accused of sexually abusing a then-15year-old girl pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child.

Under a plea agreement entered on Oct. 29, Norman Matthew Pangle must register as a sex offender, face five years of community supervision, and have no contact with the victim.

Pangle was accused of “grooming” his student, according to court documents, establishing a mentor relationship that frequently involved time alone in his music studio. During that time, he also earned the trust of the student’s family. e student, who came to police when she was 21, said she took lessons from Pangle from ages 14 to 16. When she beNorman Matthew Pangle (PHOTO: COURTESY THE TEXAS PUBLIC SEX gan working with him, OFFENDER REGISTRY) she was a freshman at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts, but later left to attend Highland Park High School.

People Newspapers does not, as a practice, publish the names of sexual assault victims.

According to court documents, Pangle’s relationship with the student resembled a mentorship until the spring of 2013, when it became physical after Pangle kissed her and unfastened her top. e student said it made her feel “nauseous” and that she “felt confusion.”

A few weeks later, she said, Pangle sexually assaulted her, penetrating her with his fingers before having her perform oral sex on him. He continued to see her for another year, often, she said, hinting that he would leave his wife for her if the child she was pregnant with was a girl.

His wife had a son, which the girl allegedly discovered via social media. e girl then told police that when she was 16, the interactions began to change, and she suspected “the Suspect was replacing her with a new teenage girl at the studio who was about the Complainant’s same age.”

By her junior year, she said she had begun to try to date boys her age that also attended the studio, but Pangle would warn the boys to break up with her “because she was trouble.” e girl told police she was seeing a therapist, and had told her mother what happened, but had asked at the time not to report it to police. Later conversations with family spurred her to contact police. At law enforcement request, she placed a one-party consent call to Pangle, who acknowledged that he sexually assaulted her, and that he knew she was 15 at the time. – Staff report