TUSD will only invite small subsets of students, which the district deems the most vulnerable, back on campus on Aug. 17.
As the coronavirus continues to impact the city, Tucsonβs largest school district is planning on accommodating high needs special education students, children in foster care, those experiencing homelessness and refugees.
βIf we actually removed the structure of the classroom, the brick-and-mortar building of school and the services of food and transportation that go along with it and the access to onsite services, who amongst the TUSD overall student body would experience such a barrier that learning would practically just stop?β said TUSD superintendent Gabriel Trujillo. βWe were left with these four categories of students.β
Tucson Unified School District kicked off the school year with remote instruction only on Aug. 10. The state has called for Arizona schools to offer some form of in-person supervision of children for families that want it starting Aug. 17, tying the requirement to funding.Β
Trujillo clarified that the district wonβt turn any student away but will prioritize those categories. Families with students who need a place to go during the day but who fall outside those categories can reach out to TUSD and their situations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.Β
The district will partner with the City of Tucsonβs KIDCO to provide low-cost child care for other families who need it at 16 alternative sites.Β
Even with just four limited categories of students, there are about 2,500 students who qualify for a spot at one of 26 schools the district will open on Aug. 17. TUSD has 905 students experiencing homelessness, 526 refugee students, 806 students in foster care and 297 students with high needs whose families are requesting in-person services.Β
The districtβs original COVID-19 plan called for 12 to 14 students in a classroom, but this mitigated plan aims for no more than 10.
Tucson Unified plans on offering limited students on campus until Oct. 9 or when the Pima County Health Department recommends the reopening of schools.Β
In a meeting with school leaders on Monday, Pima County Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen told school officials that even a mitigated return to in-person learning wouldnβt be safe for at least six weeks.Β
While the number of students who will return in person on Aug. 17 is much smaller than the 10,000 students the district was estimating would come onto campus under the broader plan the governing board passed in July, the district still doesnβt know exactly who will show up on Monday.
Between 3,000 and 4,000Β of TUSD's more than 45,000Β students have not responded to any of TUSDβs communication about remote learning and how the school year will begin.
Tucson Unified is requiring all support staff β those who arenβt teaching β to come onto campus on Monday to help manage the influx of students who may show up. By Wednesday, Aug. 19, the district will likely have a handle on how many students are on campuses and will allow more staff to return to remote work, Trujillo said.
βWith the amount of families that have not responded to us because of wrong phone numbers or wrong addresses or they're out of town and they simply, truly don't know what's going on, and they can physically show up on Monday, we need to make sure that we have the personnel in force to adequately inform families of what their options are,β he said.
For more information, email the district at Answers2020@tusd1.org.
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Fauci recommends 'universal wearing of masks' as schools reopen
Photos: In Tucson, face masks are for more than just people
Face masks on objects
Updated
A Jeep sports with eyes like those from the movie "Cars" sports a COVID19 mask outside Alpha Graphics near the corner of Tanque Verde and Kolb, Tucson, Ariz., July 3, 2020.
Face masks on objects
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The large Tiki head at the entrance of The Hut, 305 N. 4th Ave., wears a mask in response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Tucson, Ariz., on April 5, 2020.
Face masks on objects
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The noted bull testicles on the statue outside Casa Molina at Speedway and Wilmot, usually painted in various schemes and wild colors, are in these CONVID19 times now sporting a face mask, March 27, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Face masks on objects
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A dinosaur statue over the doors of MATS Dojo at 5929 E. 22nd St., sports an athletic cup for a face mask in the second week of COVID-19 restrictions, March 31, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Face masks on objects
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The venerable T-Rex outside the McDonald's at Grant and Tanque Verde comes around late, but strong, to the mask game, May 13, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Face masks on objects
Updated
The iconic Casa Molina bull and matador statue both sported masks on the first full week of the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in mid-May.
Face masks on objects
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Father Kino's horse practice safe social interaction by wearing a mask even if Father Kino himself isn't. The statue sits at Cherry Fields at 15th Street and Kino Boulevard, Saturday, May 2, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
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