By Philip Haldiman, Independent Newsmedia
Peoria Unified School District will close all 42 of its schools on April 26 and April 27 due to a planned strike in defense of teacher raises.
Spokeswoman Danielle Airey said data indicates a majority of Peoria Unified certified teachers do not plan to report to work and instead participate in a walk-out this Thursday and Friday.
If a change at the state or local level indicates that schools can be re-opened, parents will be informed immediately, she said.
Additionally all Deer Valley Unified School District schools will be closed starting April 26. All schools will remain closed indefinitely until officials can assure that 75 percent of certified teacher will report to work, according to a letter sent to parents of district students.
Ms. Airey said she is not sure how long Peoria Unified schools will be closed but will provide daily updates for parents, staff and the community.
All official PUSD information will be shared at peoriaunified.org/updates.
For each day that school is closed, it will be made up at the end of the year.
Graduation ceremonies will be held as planned, generally on May 16 and May 17. Diplomas will be issued if and when all requirements, such as course completion and attendance, are met.
Some organizations or members of the community may want to provide services for Peoria Unified families during the upcoming school closures. For more information, please contact the Peoria Unified Public Relations department at pusdpr@pusd11.net or call 623-486-1600. To submit a community resource, do so on the district website at https://www.peoriaunified.org/cms/module/selectsurvey/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=113
Other important things to know:
- Students and families will not have access to buildings or fenced areas during regular school hours.
- No before or after school programs, such as AM/PM or KidZone, will be available on any district campuses.
- There will be no transportation during the day for all campuses. Transportation will be provided for students in private day special placement, such as ACES, and some other out-of-district special needs travel.
- Extracurricular student programming (including clubs, activities, performances, celebrations) will continue only if there is adequate staffing. School principals will provide communication for each individual campus on the status of such events.
- Varsity‐level practice, competition and tournaments will continue as scheduled if appropriately staffed. All other elementary and high school athletic practices and competitions will be canceled.
- Out-of-state and overnight field trips will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Please look for additional information from the school’s principal regarding a particular trip.
