By Lily Altavena | Arizona Republic
UPDATE: Ducey rejects request for 2-week school ‘quarantine’
Arizona schools’ Superintendent Kathy Hoffman called for Gov. Doug Ducey to order all schools to remain in distance learning for two weeks after winter break as the state weathers its worst surge in COVID-19 cases yet.
“I can’t stand by when we see that we’re losing Arizonans by the thousands,” Hoffman said in an interview with The Republic Saturday.
The state’s health metrics designed for schools recommend virtual learning in every county while the COVID-19 spread is substantial. But the metrics are optional, and the decision to remain in virtual learning is up to the individual school.
Hoffman’s call to return to virtual learning for two weeks came in a series of tweets Saturday.
Many big school districts, including Mesa Public Schools and Deer Valley Unified, already are mandating virtual learning in the weeks after winter break. Others, like Queen Creek Unified and Chandler Unified, plan to start 2021 with in-person learning.
Teachers in Chandler and in the Gilbert school district may call in sick to protest returning in-person right after break. Gilbert Public Schools plans to return with a hybrid learning model in which students alternate what days they’re on campus.
