QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — For the third time in August, the J.O. Combs Unified School District has voted on in-person instruction in its schools, and for the second time the district’s board plans for teachers and students to return to the classroom.
In a 4-1 vote, the board voted to begin offering in-person classes on Sept. 8. Thursday night’s vote is the latest change after a vote on Aug. 19, in which the board decided all classes would be virtual for the rest of the month.
That vote reversed a 3-2 decision from Aug. 10 in which the board decided to return to in-person teaching and learning.
But the original decision to reopen was met by objections from more than 100 teachers, who called in sick on Aug. 17 and 18, resulting in the cancellation of all classes for the first three days of what would’ve been a return to on-site learning.
This time around, Combs Education Association President David Nelson said he expects his members to show up for in-person classes on Sept. 8.
“I just wish we didn’t have to go through all this to get here,” Nelson said after the meeting.
The teachers originally objected to the Aug. 17 date because, they said, there was not enough personal protective equipment nor enough training on how to properly sanitize the classroom. Teachers also did not feel prepared to handle simultaneous in-person and virtual classes.
Pinal County still does not meet two out of the three state-recommended benchmarks for a return to the classroom, but board members felt the district was close enough to the recommendations that they would be met by Sept. 8.
