July 30, 2020
Dear CGUHSD Parents and Guardians,
Last week, Governor Ducey issued an
Executive Order providing additional guidelines regarding the re-opening of schools and start of in-person instruction. Although, due to the complexity of its language, there are several requirements in the
Executive Order that require additional clarification and discussion, we are providing the determined key updates for families below.
Re-Opening Dates to be Determined Locally
In order to offer flexibility and funding to ensure students have access to consistent educational opportunities during this time, the Governor has determined that the decision for students and staff to return to physical school buildings for in-person instruction should be made at the local level. Casa Grande Union HSD, in collaboration with the Pinal County Health Department, will make these decisions based on health data, the needs of the community, and capacity to return with sufficient safe and healthy strategies in our reopening plan.
We anticipate receiving this public health data by August 7, 2020, and will make informed decisions regarding dates for safe in-person instruction at that time. This means that while we are not yet able to commit to an in-person school opening date of August 17, 2020, we will be prepared for that option given the recommendations and data that will be presented in the coming weeks.
Virtual Learning begins August 10, 2020
Virtual learning for all students will begin on Monday, August 10, 2020, and will continue until in-person instruction is able to commence. At that time, students who wish to attend school in-person in our Modified In-Person model will have the option to do so.
Please know that virtual learning will be different from the remote instruction families experienced in the spring. In March, Districts across the country were forced to rapidly transition online with no notice or preparation. Throughout the past several months, district and school teams have had the opportunity to proactively evaluate and improve instructional options for the upcoming year. This enhanced version of virtual learning will provide consistent direct instruction with daily student/teacher interaction and includes virtual instruction that follows the schedule of the typical school day. All coursework will be conveniently housed in Blackboard as one instructional platform, and devices will again be available to all students in the Casa Grande Union High School District.
Families will receive an additional update on Monday, August 3, 2020, containing information regarding class schedules, virtual teacher meetings, meal service, virtual learning expectations, and more. This update will be emailed as well as made available on the district website,
www.cguhsd.org.
Face Masks Now Required
As a result of the Executive Order, all staff, visitors, and students must wear face coverings/masks while in district and school buildings, effective August 3, 2020. This policy remains in effect until the Arizona Department of Health Services determines that face coverings are no longer necessary or recommended to contain the spread of the virus.
As you know, health and safety for staff and students has continued to be paramount in our extensive planning efforts for a safe and healthy return to school. We have spent countless hours developing creative solutions to unprecedented problems so that we may continue to provide uninterrupted, high quality instruction for our students and families, and we will continue to do so.
Your patience and support are appreciated, and we will continue to work diligently to prioritize the well-being of our students, staff, and community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Steve Bebee
Superintendent