PHOENIX — As districts across the state choose to cancel classes over coronavirus concerns, some valley school districts like Mesa Public schools and Laveen Elementary School District are planning to stay open next week, leaving some families on edge.
"Children are just natural petri dishes," says Martina Velasquez.
Her two grandsons live with her in Laveen - a fifth grader and seventh grader at Desert Meadows, part of the Laveen Elementary School District. It's one of the school districts in the valley opting to open back up Monday after their spring break.
"I feel it’s very irresponsible to the community,"
She’s not just worried about her grandsons getting sick. It's the germs they might bring home.
"I have a 96-year-old mother that lives with me," Velasquez explains. "And I’m afraid for her."
Velasquez's daughter took to the Internet to spread something else: a petition to close the schools.
"By closing the schools I hope they realize that they’re being proactive."
12 News reached out to the district about the petition but has not heard back. In a letter to parents Friday, the district said they had no immediate plans to cancel classes and assured parents they're working with state health leaders every step of the way.
The decision to close schools is up to each district and as of right now, it's not something the state is recommending.
“The recommendation from the Health Services Department has been for schools to stay open," state Superintendent Kathy Hoffman tells 12 News. "That’s what medical experts are saying in Arizona because we have had so few cases."
And Velasquez gets it. It’s not easy to shut down schools. There’s added need for child care; no breakfast or lunch; plus, the kids are missing out on learning.
"I’m afraid they’ll fall behind," she says.
But she’s more afraid of them getting sick or spreading germs to others in their family. Come Monday, her grandkids will be staying home, whether school is open or not.
"For an elderly person like my mother, it would just take exposure to make her so sick that she would probably die."
For a list of all closures due to the coronavirus, click here.
