Arizona State-wide School Closure
School Clsure Letter - Governor Ducey and Superintendent Hoffman
March 15, 2020
Dear Arizona families, educators, school leaders, and education community members,
In our roles as Governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction, we stand united in working
with you to keep Arizona’s kids, families, and school communities safe and healthy.
Over the past few weeks and in coordination with public health officials, we have been in
close communication with school administrators to provide guidance and be a resource as it
relates to the recent outbreak of COVID-19. The health and safety of all our students is our
top priority, and we’ve worked hard to keep our school doors open — these are important
assets in people's lives and many families rely on them for nutrition and access to health
care.
Both of our staffs have been working together in partnership through the weekend, and we’ve
been in touch with educational leaders on the frontlines. Currently, staffing and potential
absences are a concern in many districts. Many schools and school districts have announced
closures.
Today, we are jointly announcing the closure of all schools from Monday, March 16,
2020 through Friday, March 27, 2020. We will continue to work together and assess this
situation on a 24/7 basis.
It’s important for families and parents to know that while this will address operational issues,
doing this will not stop the spread of COVID-19.
The safest place for children during this time is at home. They should not be cared for by
elderly adults or those with underlying health conditions, including grandparents and other
family members.
Additionally, we are committed to working together to minimize the impact of these closures.
To that end, we are assembling resources and forming community partnerships that will
reduce the impact of these closures on families, teachers, and school communities.
Efforts are underway to ensure that any child has access to meals while schools are closed.
We have also worked with USDA to allow schools to begin summer food service operations
and provide boxed meals as needed. Your local school will have more information about how
and where to access meals.
We understand many parents have questions about childcare options. It is the
recommendation of public health officials that kids who are not at school remain at home to
the greatest extent possible. For families for whom that’s not an option, we are coordinating
with partners in the non-profit, faith-based and education communities to make available
childcare options to families who need it.
For our dedicated school employees, we’re working together to make sure you don’t see any
disruption to your pay. We’ll also be consulting with our district and legislative partners to
determine the extent of any potential makeup days.
Many parents, teachers, and administrators may have questions about statewide testing.
We’re currently engaging with our federal partners in the event that we need to secure a
waiver.
The Department of Education will provide additional guidance to schools that will be posted to
azed.gov. For the latest information about COVID-19, please visit azhealth.gov. This website
is updated daily with new information.
We will continue to remain in close contact with state and public health officials to provide the
most up-to-date information and ensure that the State of Arizona is doing everything we can
to keep every member of our community healthy and safe.
We are asking schools to please adhere to the following measures during this period of
closure:
- School administrators should make every effort to provide continued education
learning opportunities through online resources or materials that can be sent home.
- School administrators should develop a plan to continue breakfast and lunch services
for Arizona students.
As demand rises on healthcare professionals and first responders, schools should
expand child care programs currently available to ensure minimal disruption to these
critical jobs as a result of the school closure.
When school resumes, school administrators should develop and implement
precautions to ensure schools are a safe learning environment, including social
distancing measures, regular intervals for administrators to wash and sanitize their
hands, and guidance on how to properly and frequently sanitize election equipment
and common surfaces.
Sincerely,
Governor Doug Ducey & Superintendent Kathy Hoffman
