Safe and Healthy Schools

For a complete list of public health official recommendations for schools, please visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Arizona Department of Health Services.

Your local county health office may also have relevant information for your community.

 

U.S. Department of Education's Return to School Roadmap

This resource is intended to support students, schools, educators, and communities as they prepare to return to safe, healthy in-person learning this fall and emerge from the pandemic stronger than before. 

  • A fact sheet for schools, families, and communities on the Return to School Roadmap.
  • A guide for schools and districts outlining what schools can do to protect the health and safety of students, including increasing access to vaccinations and steps for implementing the CDC’s recently updated K-12 school guidance.
  • A checklist that parents can use to prepare themselves and their children for a safe return to in-person learning this fall, leading with vaccinating eligible children and masking up if students are not yet vaccinated.   

Promoting Vaccinations

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “achieving high levels of COVID-19 vaccination among eligible students as well as teachers, staff, and household members is one of the most critical strategies to help schools safely resume full operations.” Public schools are encouraged to promote vaccinations in your community to regularly educate your community of the benefits of vaccination. Public schools can use federal recovery dollars like Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to provide and incentivize COVID-19 vaccinations for teachers, staff, and eligible students.

Learn more:

Quarantine & Isolation

Regarding best quarantine and isolation practices, ADHS has published a guide that outlines what to do if:

  • A person is symptomatic and awaiting COVID-19 test results
  • A person is symptomatic and tested positive for COVID-19 by PCR or antigen testing
  • A person is symptomatic and tested negative for COVID-19 by PCR or antigen testing

Maricopa County Quarantine Guidance

The Maricopa County Department of Health Services has published a Quarantine Flowchart for Households and Close Contacts of a person with COVID-19, in addition to Home Isolation Guidance.

LEAs in Maricopa County should use this letter template to inform students and families of the need to quarantine.


Leveraging Federal Recovery Dollars for Paid Sick Leave

As COVID-19 continues to impact our teachers, students, and families, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) encourages schools to remain as flexible as possible with sick leave and absence policies. In the interest of keeping everyone in our school communities safe, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 should stay home and quarantine in accordance with CDC guidelines. For our educators and school professionals, we know there can be extra burdens between work demands and financial needs.  

ADE encourages schools to consider leveraging funds from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Act (ESSER) funds to pay for sick leave for staff who have tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19.
 

Face Coverings Are Recommended for Everyone in K12  

In accordance with the CDC and the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), face coverings are recommended and encouraged for all individuals in K12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained.

Public schools can and should encourage consistent and correct mask use. Under the current state law, a family has the choice and agency to ask or require its child(ren) to wear a mask in school or while on other school facilities.

Physical Distancing

The CDC on physical distancing: “Because of the importance of in-person learning, schools where not everyone is fully vaccinated should implement physical distancing to the extent possible within their structures but should not exclude students from in-person learning to keep a minimum distance requirement. In general, CDC recommends people who are not fully vaccinated maintain physical distance of at least 6 feet from other people who are not in their household. However, several studies from the 2020-2021 school year show low COVID-19 transmission levels among students in schools that had less than 6 feet of physical distance when the school implemented and layered other prevention strategies, such as the use of masks.”

 

Screening Testing: Pooled Testing

The CDC recommends screen testing to identify infectious individuals, including those with or without symptoms (or before development of symptoms) who may be contagious, so that measures can be taken to prevent further transmission. One screening testing strategy is pooled testing of cohorts. With federal recovery dollars, ADHS will fully support schools’ pooled testing program allowing the community to test every student, every week. ADE highly encourages schools to unitize ADHS’ free pooled testing program.

 

Staying Home When Sick

The CDC on staying home when sick: Students, teachers, and staff who have symptoms of infectious illness, such as influenza (flu) or COVID-19, should stay home and be referred to their healthcare provider for testing and care. Staying home when sick with COVID-19 is essential to keep COVID-19 infections out of schools and prevent spread to others. It also is essential for people who are not fully vaccinated to quarantine after a recent exposure to someone with COVID-19. Schools should also allow flexible, non-punitive, and supportive paid sick leave policies and practices that encourage sick workers to stay home without fear of retaliation, loss of pay, or loss of employment level and provide excused absences for students who are sick. If a student becomes sick at school, see What to do if a Student Becomes Sick or Reports a New COVID-19 Diagnosis at School.

 

Honoring Tribal Sovereignty

Public school districts and charters on or adjacent to tribal lands and those with staff and students affiliated with Arizona’s federally recognized tribal nations are encouraged to honor tribal public health orders. You can find more guidance from the ADE Office of Policy and Government Relations here.