Treon: School leadership, clarity needed as parents weigh classroom options amid COVID-19

Despite the clear affirmation from Dr. Menzel that the board can make the decision when to re-open, we simply don’t know whether the SUSD Governing Board has any intention of making an independent decision and considering the health and safety of students and staff when it comes to re-opening.”

Karen Treon, SUSD parent

These are hard times --- there is no doubt about that.

As challenging as the last five months have been, we are facing a high stakes decision point that will impact the lives of thousands in Scottsdale. The 2020-2021 school year is upon us.

The COVID-19 crisis continues unabated, school districts are in uncharted territory, and the federal, state and county leadership we need right now is either absent or sorely lacking.

It is time for the SUSD Governing Board to fill that leadership void. It is time for the Governing Board to provide a roadmap for re-opening that can guide the critical decisions being made by SUSD families and SUSD staff.

The Governor has thus far taken a reactive and slow approach to the COVID-19 crisis.

One thing he has done is state that schools cannot open in-person earlier than Aug. 17 --- a week after SUSD is scheduled to start school. Recognizing the difficulty of planning for multiple modes of delivering education and not knowing how long the various modes might last, the SUSD Board decided to push back the in-person opening until Sept. 8.

Classes will begin on Aug. 10 via Enhanced Distance Learning (“EDL”) and students will return to schools in-person after Labor Day. There is also an option for families to choose to attend Scottsdale Online School (“SOL”) for the semester.

But what happens on Sept. 8th? This is where the board’s lack of clarity is causing stress, chaos, and confusion.

There is no indication that the COVID-19 situation will be under control by Sept. 8 and no indication that we will meet the CDC recommendations for the safe re-opening of schools. The public statements of one SUSD Boardmember, Barbara Perleberg, strongly suggest that the board will rely on Governor Ducey’s unpredictable decision making and thereby abdicate its responsibility to make decisions based on the health and well-being of students and staff.

At the July 9, 2020 board meeting, Perleberg stated the following:

“To confirm and clarify for our community, it was stated earlier as far as this date that we’re choosing, and I think we all would encourage our parents if there is truly a concern or a clear idea in their mind of what’s safe, and they have that definition, then I mean I think we are kind of at that point when then the option of online SOL is probably your best bet. But what I’m hearing tonight and what our families are hearing tonight is that Sept. 8 is our date if the Governor between Aug. 17 and Sept. 8 opens our schools. . . . Of course, if he hasn’t by Sept. 8 then we’re still pushed back, then we’re stuck. . . . That is the plan. There is no other assessment. That is the assessment we are using and again if families are uncomfortable with that choice then SOL is their choice, is that correct?”

Perleberg’s own intention was clear --- absent additional orders from the Governor, she expects our schools to be open in person on Sept. 8.

In follow-up discussions, Boardmember Jann-Michael Greenburg looped back to this, asking for clarification about a scenario where the Governor does not extend the opening but the COVID-19 situation remains unimproved. He specifically asked whether the board would discuss a further extension.

Superintendent Menzel responded to this question, explaining “I’m hopeful that we don’t have to cross that bridge because I have a doctorate but it’s in educational leadership, not epidemiology. I don’t think it’s the purview of a school board to make that public health determination. I would want to look to the experts for that. The board always has the ability to consider a different plan if there are conditions in Scottsdale that warrant reviewing it. My hope is that we don’t have to get to that point because we need clarity from the public health officials to be able to make the determination on when it’s safe to return . . . . So my hope is that this becomes a moot point. As a matter of course, the board always has the ability to come back and revisit a decision and do something different based on new information. . . but our goal and our hope is that we can actually return in person . . . because we know that is the best way to teach our students.”

So where does this leave SUSD families and teachers?

Despite the clear affirmation from Dr. Menzel that the board can make the decision when to re-open, we simply don’t know whether the SUSD Governing Board has any intention of making an independent decision and considering the health and safety of students and staff when it comes to re-opening.

There was no vote by the board. So, we are left to guess what the board might do if Sept. 8 arrives with no additional direction from the Governor and COVID-19 continuing to be a grave threat to the health and safety of our students, staff, and their families.

We have Perleberg’s comments as our only clue, but Perleberg almost always votes with a majority block of three. Based on past voting patterns, it seems a safe bet that the board majority would defer to the Governor and re-open, even if that is unsafe based on the available guidelines, science, and metrics.

Of course, I don’t know that this will come to be. That’s actually the problem.
Parents have to decide this week whether to choose SOL for their students or opt for the EDL/in-person return.

We have to make this choice not knowing how the board might approach the decision point of re-opening on Sept. 8.

Is Perleberg’s absolute deference to the Governor the position of the board majority? Or would the board revisit the re-opening and extend it in the interest of health and safety?

Obviously, Dr. Menzel is right and we all should be able to look to the public health experts on this topic, but thus far that guidance has been nearly non-existent. The board must fill that void, and parents should not have to make these difficult decisions without more clarity.

Teachers and staff are in an even worse position --- they are faced with starting a school year with no reassurance that their health and safety will be prioritized by the board as the next few months unfold.

The board isn’t meeting again until Aug. 4. They should convene earlier and clarify their plan.

If the board is committed to re-considering the re-opening date based on science and public health metrics and the health and safety of students and staff, let us know that.

If Perleberg’s desire to base re-opening solely on the Governor’s untimely orders and whims is reflective of the board majority, we should know that too.

Parents and staff are making critical decisions in the next few days --- we can’t wait until Aug. 4 or beyond for clarity and leadership.

Editor’s Note: Karen Treon is a Scottsdale resident and parent of Scottsdale Unified School District students.