Schools outline plans to return to class amid COVID-19 pandemic
PHOENIX - Arizona school districts continue to nail down plans for going back to school amid the pandemic, as a debate continues over how students and teachers should return to school for the 2020-2021 school year.
As August approaches, parents are waiting to see detailed plans on how their students, and some districts have rolled out clearer guidelines.
Phoenix Union High School District
Officials with the Phoenix Union High School District have announced that its students, for the entire first quarter beginning on August 3, will take classes in a fully remote setting. That means an approximately two-month period before students may return to in-person learning.
"We're working to make sure that every student has a laptop, and that every student who needs internet access has internet access so they'll be able to fully participate in their online classes," said Stanford Prescott, a board member for PUHSD.
School district officials will also evaluate where they're at, health-wise, on a quarterly basis to see if in-person teaching makes sense by October 2.
Scottsdale Unified School District
Officials with Scottsdale UScjonified School District say it will also rely on remote learning, and will start on-time by August 10. This will go on until public health guidelines allow students who choose on-campus learning to come to school on September 8.
Avondale Elementary School District
Avondale Elementary School District is offering a few options: in-person learning for the full year, a flex model with virtual classes for the first quarter, or a digital academy lasting all year.
Officials recently went through a final walkthrough on campus.
"What it looks like to enter a bus, exit a bus, enter a building, to transition in the halls to lunch and breakfast procedures, how do we use our outside recess equipment and how do we make sure that gets disinfected in between use," said Dr. Betsy Hargrove, superintendent of the Avondale Elementary School District.
School officials say health is all that matters
"Is to make sure that our teachers are safe, our students are safe our students, parents and their grandparents are safe, so that when we do come back together, we can all come back together," said Prescott.