NE Valley Times

Parents of Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) elementary students have been asked to make a decision about how their children will learn for the rest of the semester – in-person or through enhanced distance learning – once the district begins phasing students back to campus Monday, Sept. 21.

Kindergarteners, first and second graders will return Monday, Sept. 21. Third through fifth grades will return Tuesday, Sept. 29. Middle and high schoolers will return Monday, Oct. 12 following fall break. Special education students in kindergarten through high school returned Sept. 14.

A recent parent survey showed that 50% of all parent respondents are prepared for their children to return to face-to-face instruction while 34% prefer that their child remains in enhanced distance learning until the public health metrics have been "green" for two weeks. The remaining parents expressed support for a hybrid model that allowed for two half-days of in-person instruction each week.

The SUSD Governing Board has decided to base school openings on state health metrics and guidelines.

“We cannot guarantee that students will always be six feet away from each other because kids just tend to gravitate toward each other, but we will be in substantial compliance with the public health recommendations and do the very best we can to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our students and staff,” Dr. Scott Menzel, superintendent, said in a release. “We will navigate this pandemic together, as a community.”