Paradise Schools will keep its opening for in-person clases set for mid-October, the charter school said in an Aug. 24 letter to parents and posting on its Facebook site. 

The Surprise-based charter school district includes Paradise Honors elementary, middle and high schools. To prepare for the move, the district plans to send out a parent survey next week to see who will be returning when in-class instruction begins.

Excerpts from the letter are posted below:

“Paradise Schools continues to follow guidance and directives from the state, CDC, county, City of Surprise, as well as advice from our legal representatives. As many of you know, the Arizona State Department of Health Services issued three benchmarks that they believe every county should meet before schools should consider opening their campuses. As of today, Maricopa County has not met all three benchmarks.

"Student safety continues to be a priority for us at Paradise. We continue to remain committed to providing distance learning to our students throughout the remainder of the first quarter. When the county does meet all three benchmarks indicating a safe return to school, our leadership team will revisit this plan in participation with our board and communicate any updates.

“Our leadership team is continuing to plan to reopen school after Fall Break for in-person/teacher-led instruction for the second quarter. The second quarter will begin on Oct. 19 for staff and Oct. 21 for students.”

“To help us prepare for this reopening, we will be asking each family to indicate if your child will return to school in-person or continue with distance learning. This form will be sent out to families the week of Sept. 8.”

Paradise Schools are among the educational groups in the city grappling with how and when to return to in-person education.

Dysart Unified School District schools are slated to return later in September.