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EDUCATION

In-person instruction begins Sept. 8 at Higley Unified School District

Posted 9/2/20

Higley Unified School District students working remotely since July 27 are heading back to class Sept. 8.

The HUSD Governing Board recently voted 4-1 with Scott Glover voting no to return to …

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EDUCATION

In-person instruction begins Sept. 8 at Higley Unified School District

Posted

Higley Unified School District students working remotely since July 27 are heading back to class Sept. 8.

The HUSD Governing Board recently voted 4-1 with Scott Glover voting no to return to in-person, teacher-led classroom instruction --- as long as the metrics in the number of cases, percent of positivity and COVID-like illness on public health dashboards continue to trend in a positive direction.

“The eighth doesn’t make sense to me,” Mr. Glover said prior to the vote.

A resolution was approved by the Governing Board at a meeting Aug. 8 regarding COVID-19 and district operations, approving the return to in-person instruction beginning Oct. 12 or earlier if the Arizona Department of Health Services/Maricopa County Health Department’s public health benchmarks were met.

The Governing Board also decided the community would receive a one-week return notice when benchmarks were met and that all benchmarks were to be re-evaluated at each scheduled Governing Board meeting.

Aug. 26 discussion

For nearly an hour, public comments were read into the record during the Aug. 26 Governing Board meeting by Mum Martens, HUSD executive director of human resources, and Dr. Mike Thomason, HUSD superintendent.

One writer asked Governing Board members to hold off on reopening schools until the second semester. Another, from an employee of the district, asked that when the metrics allow, schools reopen fully instead of using a hybrid model with students only going two or three days a week and the rest with remote learning. A parent wrote that she was frustrated to hear school board members may decide to bring students back after Labor Day instead of in October as previously decided.

School board members have received e-mails from parents and teachers on both sides of the reopening issue, said board member Jill Wilson.

“Today we are here again talking about reopening of schools. I would venture to guess that every one of us up here has read countless e-mails, spent hours researching articles, thinking and praying on what to do today. I personally have cried reading e-mails from parents, teachers and staff on both sides of this hotly debated issue,” she said prior to the Aug. 26 vote.

“I understand both sides. Mental health is real. COVID is real. I never thought when I was gathering signatures to be elected to this board that I would have to choose between someone’s physical health and someone’s mental health — and that’s what we’re being asked to do. I empathize with both sides today,” Ms. Wilson said.

If COVID-19 numbers for the metrics go up, the Governing Board could meet in an emergency session and go back to remote learning, board member Greg Wojtovich said.

“Go with the eighth date but let it be known if there’s any red flag comes up between now and that eighth that we’re going to come together to have a conversation,” he said prior to the vote.

“We love our teachers, we love our staff and I want them to feel as safe as they possibly can returning and that word ‘safe’ has a vast, vast meaning,” board President Amy Kaylor said prior to the vote. “I cannot guarantee safety of my kids or my teachers. That is the reality of this and it’s so hard and I don’t think there’s a single one of us up here that wanted to sign up for this or thought we’d ever be sitting here having these discussions and this being thrown on our laps.”