Arizona’s governor fell short of announcing a full plan for in-person learning for students and teachers as some start as early as next week.
On Thursday, Governor Doug Ducey announced that Arizona is 'open for learning' and the plan will provide a full academic year of education, as well as investments of nearly $450 million to schools.
Part of the plan also includes giving local school leaders the flexibility and public health guidance to make the best decisions for their students, according to a release from the governor’s office.
School leaders and public health experts have been calling for the governor to use data to guide decisions and he granted their request, but no details on the benchmarks were given.
The governor’s executive order did not mandate any type of plans saying that ‘each school district and charter school shall consider these recommendations, guidance from county health officials, community needs and available resources to determine when in-person, teacher-led classroom instruction can safely be made available.’
Districts do not have to submit any reopening plans either. However, the executive order says that districts will have to publicly post their mitigation plan on the district website before opening any schools.
However, it is unclear if there will be any enforcement to those mitigation strategies.
In a press release issued Thursday from the governor’s office, it details several topics:
- Requirements for on-site learning and support services
- Benchmarks and flexibility for opening safely
- Resources to support
- Face coverings
To read the full release, click here.
