SAFELY REOPENING
OPINION
SCHOOLS
O
ur Arizona schools closed for in-person instruction on March 13 when there were 12 known COVID-19 cases and no known deaths. As of October 7, there were 222,538 cases and 5,733 known COVID-19 deaths. In reopening in-person education, there was natural anxiety for students, parents, educators, and school leaders. After calls for written statewide evidence-based benchmarks, Governor Ducey then tasked the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to come up with such metrics by August 8, with many schools set to open on August 11. On July 23, physicians and educators again called for evidence-based benchmarks as a prerequisite to opening. On July 26, a copy of evidence-based metrics compiled by local physicians was delivered to ADHS Director Cara Christ, MD, MS, and Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, MS. Several days later, Dr. Christ and Superintendent Hoffman presented three very weak guidelines: a two-week decline in the number of COVID-19 cases or two weeks with new case rates below 100 per 100,000, two weeks with less than 7% positivity of COVID-19 diagnostic tests, and two weeks with hospital visits due to COVID-like illness below 10%. A three-tiered threshold system was outlined: 14
ARIZONA PHYSICIAN | Fall 2020
red for substantial community spread, yellow for moderate community spread, and green for minimal community spread. ADHS recommended “county-specific public health benchmarks fall within the moderate or minimal spread category in all three benchmarks for two weeks in order to provide hybrid learning.” None of the metrics were firm thresholds that must be met but rather voluntary suggestions. Though little had been done to ensure a safe transition back to school, the school districts’ insurer added another complicating factor. The AZ School Risk Retention Trust (“the Trust”) struck the phrase “foreign or exotic disease or illness” from coverage. Districts would be uncovered for pandemic liabilities. The Trust then released strongly worded waivers or “acknowledgments of risks” for parents to sign to reinstate minimal coverage. Additionally, many districts required employees to sign waivers of risk. Some districts even mandated non-disclosures to prevent staff from sharing their COVID-19 positive status. These legal maneuverings have further increased distrust from parents and students alike. Today, many districts have opened for in-person education despite being in the yellow zones or red zones because parents are desperate to get their children back
