Arizona’s COVID-19 infection rates have fallen enough for state public health and education officials to say some in-person learning is safe in ten counties.
The Arizona Department of Health Services announced Thursday that schools in Cochise, Coconino, Maricopa, Navajo, Pima, and Pinal counties could join Apache and Yavapai in offering some in-person instruction.
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Gila, Graham, Mohave, Santa Cruz, and Yuma counties still do not meet the state’s metrics for in-person learning.
They never expressly disallowed it, but up until Thursday, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said community transmission of the virus was too high to safely allow students back into classrooms without causing a surge in cases.
“Schools should continue to provide options for students, families, educators, and staff who are not yet comfortable returning to school facilities. Communication to all school staff, families, and students will continue to be critical,” Hoffman, a Democrat, said Thursday. “As we saw at the end of spring and throughout the summer, COVID19 can spread very quickly when we fail to adhere to essential mitigation strategies like wearing masks and practicing social distancing.”
Hybrid-learning entails a mix of in-person instruction and virtual learning.
Even the partial return to in-person learning represents relief to many dual-income or single-parent families who were left with few choices in tending to their child’s virtual education.
“When it comes to Arizona’s children, our focus has been ensuring that students and teachers have a safe and successful academic year while regaining the immense benefits that in-person learning provides,” Gov. Doug Ducey said. “Now, guided by public health data, schools have a path toward a safe return to the classroom.”
The state was one of the few that required schools to open their doors to kids if they had nowhere else to go. Public health officials said that, even though it represented a potential risk of virus transmission, schools represented a safe place for kids.
“Schools provide so much more than education to our children,” said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. “Vital components such as nutrition, physical activity, access to health services and counseling, and social interactions ensure our children will grow up to be educated, safe, and healthy. We greatly appreciate all of the steps Arizonans took to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in our communities so our children and staff could get safely back into the classroom.”
