You can help Arizona schools reopen safely

Public schools play a large role in the lives of our children.

From an education perspective, they provide our children with the skills they need to be successful as they grow.

From a public health perspective, they provide so much more than just education.

Schools provide ongoing nutrition, social interaction, physical activity, access to health services, counseling when needed, and a safe environment for kids to learn and thrive.

These are vital components that ensure our children will grow up to be educated, safe and healthy. This is why it is so important that we develop and implement plans to get our children safely back into the classroom.

The Arizona Roadmap for Reopening Schools published by the Arizona Department of Education provides a framework for all schools to prepare for a successful and safe re-entry into the next school year.

The roadmap was developed with input from experts across the state, including school leaders, teachers, parents, students, associations, universities, the Department of Education and the Department of Health Services.

Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Arizona experts, the roadmap provides guidelines for considering re-opening while maintaining the flexibility needed to meet the unique needs and circumstances of our local communities and their schools.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to bring children, educators and staff back safely into the classroom. The health and safety of our school communities are the top priorities in every decision we make.

There are many health protocols recommended in the document to keep kids and school staff safe as they return. Some of those recommendations include:

❚ symptom students,

❚ strategies for physical distancing,

❚ behaviors to promote in the school that reduce the spread of COVID-19,

❚ cleaning and disinfection protocols to maintain healthy environments, and

❚ guidelines to implement if someone becomes sick at school.

Schools are also provided flexibility to offer different learning environments to allow children and staff who may be at high risk of complications from COVID-19 to continue to learn while minimizing exposure.

In addition to the work our schools will be doing to ensure everyone is returning to a safe environment, there are steps parents can take to make sure their children will return to school healthy. We recommend that families continue to encourage healthy eating, exercising, getting enough sleep and

screening

protocols

for finding time to unwind.

Parents should also make sure that their children’s immunizations are upto-date. Immunizations are the best tool that we have to protect children from several diseases.

This year, it is critically important that, as we are planning for the fall, everyone gets a flu shot. And, if your child does get sick, families should have plans that allow them to stay home to prevent spreading illness to others.

We know this has been a difficult time for both parents and children. We appreciate the commitment and innovation seen by teachers and families to ensure our kids continue learning and thriving. We know how much they miss being together in the classroom.

As we work to bring them back, our primary goal is to keep our children, staff and their families safe and healthy throughout the coming school year.