Roadmap for reopening Arizona schools: Students might need masks, temperature checks

From The Arizona Republic, June 1, 2020.  Lily Altavena.

Educators and school leaders now have a roadmap to reopen in the face of a global pandemic.

The Arizona Department of Education on Monday unveiled guidance for schools to reopen. It suggests that schools, families and educators approach education through a much different lens in the upcoming 2020-2021 school year as concerns over the coronavirus persist.

The document offers only suggestions. It does not require schools to implement anything. That will be left to local school leaders.

The document is the product of a task force Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman convened. More than 100 people participated, according to the document. Many of the participants work for the state’s public district and charter schools.

The guidance anticipates four different scenarios for reopening:

• All students attend school in person.
• Some students attend in-person classes while others attend from home.
• All students begin the year distance learning, then resume in-person classes later in the school year.
• In-person classes are held and canceled intermittently.