GILBERT, AZ — Wednesday night, the Higley Unified School District Governing Board plans to discuss initial plans to safely reopen schools on July 27.
The district is considering three models: they include full-time, in-person instruction with increased safety precautions; flexible remote learning; and full-time remote learning.
Some of the increased safety precautions would include specialized disinfecting equipment, physical distancing when possible, and masks required on school buses as well as for students and staff when they cannot physically distance.
A district survey showed 88% of the more than 4,000 parents who responded plan to send their children back to school. Of the 900 employees who responded, 97% said they too plan to return.
From that same survey, some of the most common concerns centered around masks, the social/emotional impact of kids not being in school, and an overwhelming concern with the quality of remote learning.
With nearby Chandler Unified set to vote on pushing back its start date to August 5, calendar changes are also up for discussion in the Higley district. However, governing board documents show that, at this time, pushing back the July 27 start date is not recommended.
Wednesday's meeting starts at 5:00pm. The district will then get more input from the community before making any final decisions.
