PHOENIX — Nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, Arizona schools are preparing for faculty vaccinations and a safe return to in-person learning.
Nearly 60% of the state’s public schools are now offering in-person and virtual learning options.
Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman spoke about a safe return to in-person learning during a news conference on Wednesday.
Arizona working to get targeted support to most impacted schools
Hoffman said the Arizona Department of Education is "working to get targeted support to the schools that need it the most by looking at which communities have been impacted the most by COVID-19."
Hoffman was joined by Dr. Jason Vargas, president of the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Ylenia Aguilar, the Governing Board President of Osborn School District, to discuss the next steps for schools to return to in-person learning safely.
New CDC guidance gives schools road map to reopen for in-person learning
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released five key COVID-19 mitigation strategies for re-opening schools:
- Universal mask wearing
- Physical distancing of six feet
- Washing hands
- Cleaning and improving school ventilation
- Contact tracing
“The CDC is not mandating that schools reopen. Their recommendations simply provide schools a long-needed roadmap for how to do so safely,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
Hoffman points to in-school transmission of COVID-19 to be relatively low when mitigation strategies are in place, but return to the classroom will not look the same across the state.
“I recognize that some school communities need more time to plan and prepare. I want to support schools at every stage, so that when they do resume in-person learning, they are doing so safely with mitigation strategies in place, enforced, and with the support of their families, students, and teachers,” said Superintendent Hoffman.
Vargas said research shows the risk is relatively low for healthy students and teachers to return to the classroom.
“We know that child-to-child spread is not the cause of community transmission; it simply mirrors what is going on the community," Vargas said.
"Because of that and to keep our schools open, we must do our best to decrease risk of community spread. We all have a shared responsibility to ensure there is as little disease as possible circulating in the community when we send our children back.”
Calming anxiety over returning to schools
Hoffman acknowledged a collective trauma for educators and students across Arizona.
"The trauma endured by many students and families due to this virus is deep – particularly in the hardest-hit communities," said Hoffman.
"Now is the time to lead with science and rebuild the trust of our families, students and teachers so they feel safe returning to the classroom."
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) recently announced allocations from the second federal COVID-19 relief bill to support in the effort to return for in-person instruction. Funding will be critical and go to helping schools implement mitigation strategies like improved ventilation.
"The road to recovery from COVID-19 is still long for Arizona's schools, students and families. Together we must continue to make data-driven decisions - with community input - to meet all students' needs," said Hoffman.
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