From the COVID-19 Blog
COVID-19 Updates: December 16, 2020
Wed, Dec 16 2020
A summary of COVID-19 updates, guidance, and news from the Arizona Department of Education.
COVID19: Guidance for the 2020-2021 School Year
Executive Orders 2020-41, 2020-44, and 2020-51: Overviews, FAQ, and Guidance
Overview of Executive Order 2020-51, 2020-44 and 2020-41
- Guidance on EO 2020-51's On-Site Services Provision
- Overview of Guidance
- On-Site Learning and Services Waiver Request
As part of the Executive Order, all public schools may submit a Distance Learning Plan (DLP) to receive the flexibility to offer distance learning options for students without an approved Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) program for the 2020-2021 school year. School districts are required to submit a DLP to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) prior to implementing distance learning. School districts may begin operating their DLP prior to August 17th upon submission of the plan to ADE.
School districts that wish to provide distance learning under Executive Order 2020-41 must create a DLP using this template. School districts not utilizing the appropriate template will be required to revise and resubmit their plans. Plans not submitted in the template must wait to begin DL instruction until the plan is submitted in the approved template. The template is a Word document that must be completed in its entirety and submitted via email to [email protected].
School Districts may make revisions to improve their DLP at any time but, must submit those changes to the ADE within 10 business days of any substantive revision. School districts should contact the ADE at [email protected] to revise their DLP.
Distance Learning Plan Template
The guidance describes School Finance processes to implement Executive Orders 2020-41 and 2020-44 for the 2020-2021 school year (SY).
Arizona Department of Health Services: Guidance and Requirements for Schools
The ADHS COVID-19 Schools (Childcare and K12) webpage includes all information relevant to public health and schools during COVID-19. Please review it carefully.
View the ADHS Reopening Benchmarks, "Safely Returning to In-Person Instruction."
View the ADHS School Data Dashboard
In accordance with ADHS Emergency Measure 2020-03 "Slowing the Spread of COVID-19: Reporting Requirements", schools, childcare establishments, and shelters are required to report outbreaks to their local health department within 24 hours of identification. The local health department will make the final determination on whether an outbreak is occurring. To facilitate early investigation of suspected outbreaks, please see the following guidelines for reporting cases:
- Two or more individuals report COVID-19 symptoms to the facility (with or without confirmatory testing) within 14 days and the most plausible transmission mechanism is at the facility.
- Multiple individuals are out sick above what is usual or expected for the facility without any clear transmission link.
Please contact your local health department or visit their website to determine the required format for reporting in your county.
If your local health department determines that there is an outbreak in a school, childcare, or shelter, the following reporting requirements apply:
- Schools, child care centers, or shelters shall report to current staff, faculty, students, and students' parents and guardians within 24 hours of confirmation.
- Schools, child care centers, or shelters shall provide regular updates on their activities to keep current staff, faculty, students, students' parents, and guardians safe.
To facilitate the process of notifying your school community of a confirmed outbreak, the Arizona Department of Education created a template for notifying parents, guardians, and staff.
The Arizona Department of Health Services issued guidance for schools and child care regarding individuals with symptoms. The guidance is available HERE.
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), ESSER II, or ESG (Enrollment Stability Grant) funds to pay for sick leave for staff who have tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19. It is very important that we keep everyone in our schools safe by encouraging and providing financial support for staff to stay home when necessary.
ESSER I and II funds may also be used to support release time and coverage for testing and vaccination as needed.
Additional information on new ‘ESSER II’ federal relief funds will be shared in our joint webinar with the Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) on January 20, 2021 at 1:00pm. Registration is available here.
Arizona Department of Education: Guidance
Guidance on Teacher and Principal Evaluations. View HERE.
Arts and Physical Education Re-entry Guidance. View HERE.
Health and Nutrition Services (HNS) is committed to providing timely and accurate information through our COVID-19 Communications to ensure all Child Nutrition Program Operators are able to stay informed with all COVID-19 guidance released by USDA and ADE. View all HNS guidance HERE.
Guidance and resources related to special education for students with disabilities for Arizona’s public education agencies (districts, charters, state institutions, and secure care schools) related to the COVID-19 School Year (SY) 2020—2021 School Reentry. The situation around COVID-19 is rapidly changing, so please continue to check this page for updates and guidance. View HERE.
Prioritizing CTE During COVID-19 - Guidance from our national partners at Advance CTE. View HERE.
The Arizona Department of Education does not have any direct oversight of preschool programs or provide direct funding to these programs. Instead, preschool is organized under childcare and many preschool locations continue to stay open via licensed providers. ADE Early Childhood Education Guidance is focused on best practices for home and childcare providers. View HERE.
Collecting information from a variety of areas of focus, the Office of Indian Education made an FAQ specifically for Tribal Nations. View HERE.
