QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — It’s been two weeks since in-person learning began in Queen Creek.
On social media, the Queen Creek Unified School district has photo after photo of kids spreading out and masking up. And so far, the district says their plan has been successful.
But an email obtained by 12 News has some in the community concerned over what's really happening in the classroom.
"Word spread very quickly to teachers in the district," says former teacher Jake Frantz.
The district says it was an internal staff email sent by a teacher at Desert Mountain Elementary School.
The email is about the school’s social media team and the teacher writes, in part:
"If the picture/video is taken inside, masks need to be on. The more physically distant the kids look, the better. Try not to take pictures of your whole classroom setup - there's still some crazies out there who will gripe that we are not six feet apart (even though we all know that's impossible)."
"It’s not crazy. It’s not impossible," Frantz says. "They’re much more focused on looking safe and the PR side than they are actually having that safety in the classroom."
Frantz actually resigned from the district before school started because he didn’t like how the district was handling COVID-19. He’s still in touch with some other teachers that are in the classroom, who tell him it’s been a trying two weeks.
"They’re breaking down," he explains. "The amount of stress people are going through right now is just unreal."
When we asked about the email, a district spokesperson told us they’re following their pandemic plan to a T.
The spokesperson sent a statement:
Students, staff, and visitors must wear facial coverings as stated in our mitigation plan.
In regards to physical distancing and contact limiting, teachers are arranging seating to allow for physical distancing as feasible, and desks face the same direction.
But there is something that might create more space.
The district says enrollment for virtual learning went up from 14% to 17% over the past two weeks since school started, which means fewer kids going into the buildings.