Officials said the following schools will be closed due to "not enough staff to support a safe environment for students this Monday": Cactus, Centennial, Liberty, Ironwood, Peoria and Sunrise Mountain high schools as well as Country Meadows, Pioneer and Santa Fe elementary schools.
Alta Loma , Copperwood and Heritage elementary schools on Sunday were added to the list of schools that will be closed Monday.
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Officials said the following schools will be closed due to "not enough staff to support a safe environment for students this Monday": Cactus, Centennial, Liberty, Ironwood, Peoria and Sunrise Mountain high schools as well as Country Meadows, Pioneer and Santa Fe elementary schools.
Alta Loma , Copperwood and Heritage elementary schools on Sunday were added to the list of schools that will be closed Monday.
Spokeswoman Danielle Airey said the district has closely monitored staff absence data, which is one of the factors used to determine to safely hold school.
"We have explored all possible options to keep school open but at this time, we do not have enough staff to support a safe environment for students this Monday, Jan. 11 at [listed schools]," she said.
Raymond S. Kellis High School, Peoria Flex Academy and MET Professional Academy, as well as the remaining 27 district elementary schools currently have appropriate staffing levels, Ms. Airey said.
Students and families from closed schools will not have access to buildings or fenced areas during regular school hours.
During this school closure, virtual learning will not take place. Transportation will still conduct their normal bus runs to ensure that no students are left unattended at a bus stop.
Any students identified by PUSD bus drivers will be brought back to the school site and families will be notified to come pick up their child.
The PUSD food and nutrition team will provide food curbside during normal lunch times for parents and community members to drive-thru or walk-up for lunch.
Childcare will be available for families in need on Monday, Jan. 11.
The City of Peoria and Peoria Unified’s KidZone programs in Glendale schools are working together to provide childcare opportunities during the school closure on Monday, Jan. 11.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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