It was announced over the weekend that all Arizona schools, K-12, will be closed through Friday, March 27, due to COVID-19 concerns. This includes all sites within the Fountain Hills Unified School District and the Fountain Hills Charter School, both of which were on spring break this past week.

The weekend announcement came from Governor Doug Ducey and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman. While the closure is currently set for two weeks, the situation will be reassessed and additional closure time could be added.

“As more schools announce closures and education administrators express staff shortages within their schools, now is the time to act,” said Governor Ducey. “A statewide closure is the right thing to do. While this measure will not stop the spread of COVID-19, it will bring certainty and consistency in schools across Arizona.”

The Arizona Education Association supported the decision in a press release sent Sunday evening.

“Today, the Arizona Education Association is calling for students to remain home from school until education leaders and state policymakers can present a detailed plan of support that assures students will be returning to safe classrooms and healthy school sites,” reads the statement. “During this time we call on the Governor to exercise all the powers of his office including convening the legislature in special session to swiftly and directly address this unanticipated crisis. We also call on the Governor to arrange for a meeting of state education and health leaders to work collectively to ensure the safety of Arizona families.”

Late last week, local schools initially stated plans to return to regular class schedules on March 16. However, both FHUSD and FHCS withdrew those plans over the weekend and will adhere to the new closure plan of at least two weeks.

According to FHUSD Superintendent Dr. Robert Allen, the local district received considerable response to its initial announcement from concerned parents and staff about the health and welfare of children and adults on local campuses were classes to resume. Additionally, the District learned numerous families and employees were returning from spring break vacations from areas both out of state and out of country where the possibility of exposure to COVID-19 may have occurred.

“I know this will have a significant impact on immediate needs for child care, school breakfast and lunch programs and those employees that rely on their paycheck every two weeks,” Allen said in an announcement.

“My administrative and support staff will meet during the week to develop plans to assist those affected by the closure.”

Allen said specific information concerning providing breakfast and lunch for eligible students would be provided to impacted families early this week.

“We will also work on plans for providing instruction to students for an extended closure if necessary. Please watch for continued updates all of next week concerning our programs and the ultimate length of the closure.

“I cannot express enough how challenging these circumstances are for the entire community with the rapidly changing information. I truly appreciate the understanding of all FHUSD students, parents, guardians, and staff as we work through this difficult time.”