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  • Superintendent Hoffman's Response to the White House Summit on Safely Reopening America’s Schools

Superintendent Hoffman's Response to the White House Summit on Safely Reopening America’s Schools

  • Tue, Jul 7 2020  •
    • Press Releases

"Educators, school staff, and families share the goal of reopening our schools and returning students to the classroom to ensure their physical, academic, social, and emotional needs are met. Like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC, teachers know that the best place for our students to learn is in the classroom. However, today’s discussion at the White House Summit on Safely Reopening America’s Schools did not reflect the magnitude or severity of Arizona’s growing public health crisis.  

"For Arizona to reopen school facilities for in-person learning, we must first get COVID-19 under control. In the last two weeks, our confirmed cases doubled from 50,000 to 100,000. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are up, and critical care services such as ventilators are at a record high use. The positivity rate in testing is between 25 percent to 30 percent - quadruple the 5 percent that experts recommend for making informed decisions about reopening. Today, Arizona has the highest infection rate per capita than any other state in the country – including New York during its April peak. 

"And while young students may be at lower risk for infection, the educators who make learning possible – including instructional aides, librarians, bus drivers, nutrition workers, and more – are at risk, as are students with medical conditions. Those valued members of our schools need more assurances that schools and communities have the resources they need to stop the virus from spreading widely through their communities. Given Arizona’s rising case numbers and the fact that Arizona remains open, I cannot provide those assurances for the adults and students who are medically vulnerable in our school communities at this time. 

"I welcome more aggressive action from Governor Ducey and our public health officials to help mitigate the virus’s spread. The reality of COVID-19 in Arizona means that reopening schools will be a community effort in which we all have a role to play. Stay home, maintain physical distancing, wash your hands, and wear a mask when you are in public. It is only with statewide action and personal responsibility that we will find a pathway forward for our students and educators to return to the classroom."

View all Office of Communications posts

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Related Articles

Superintendent Hoffman Announces Continued Student and Family Support in Partnership with Boys and Girls Club and YMCA
Wed, Jan 13 2021
Superintendent Hoffman and Cox Communications Announce Temporary Increase in Internet Speeds for Low-Income Families
Tue, Dec 8 2020
Arizona School Safety Task Force Releases Final Report and Model School Safety Plan
Wed, Nov 18 2020
Superintendent Hoffman Convenes 2020-2021 Student Advisory Council and Additional Student Advisors
Mon, Sep 28 2020
Arizona Department of Education Announces Partnership with the University of Arizona Center for Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics Teachers (CRR) to Support Free Math Professional Learning for All Teachers Statewide
Mon, Sep 28 2020
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