At a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 1, in the gymnasium of Dr. Daniel Bright School, the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District Governing Board unanimously voted 5-0 to reopen the four COCSD school campuses for in-person instruction on Sept. 14.
“It is my recommendation that we hold to the Sept. 14 day for reopening,” Superintendent Steve King told the board at the meeting. “We are currently working to establish guidelines and how to handle transition from online learning. Everyone wants the students back in person.”
The decision was based on recent numbers for COVID cases in the county, which have fallen heavily since the area faced an outbreak in June and early July.
“Currently, and since Aug. 17, Yavapai County is well within the ‘Moderate Spread’ category designated by Arizona Department of Health Services to allow schools to reopen with a hybrid learning model [in-class and online],” Yavapai County Community Health Services Director Leslie Horton wrote in a letter to school superintendents on Tuesday. “We are following national and state guidance on guidelines to assist Yavapai County Schools on re-opening safely.”
Governing Board President Eric Marcus commended teachers and administrators on their efforts during the time that the schools had been closed, and tried to reassure parents of the safety of returning to school, while also stressing that online learning would still be a possibility for those who did not feel safe.
“We will offer online to any parent who doesn’t want their children to come back,” Marcus said. “We will be taking every reasonable precaution. I understand that some parents won’t be comfortable with that choice.”
Members of the COCSD community spoke up at the beginning of the meeting on the issue, requesting that the board make the decision to reopen.
“My youngest daughter is frustrated every day,” said Dillon Sherman, the father of two MVP students. “The only way to teach a kindergarten class is in person and with a qualified teacher there.”
Dr. Kara Block, a pediatrician in Cottonwood who is also a COCSD parent, made the case for reopening in both roles, though she stressed that the schools should endeavor to modify school practices in order to prevent the spread of the disease, recommending classes outside or spread out when possible.
“I want to assure you the direction you’re taking to safely reopen as soon as possible is the right one,” Block said. “The evidence is clear. Denying children an education experience, especially the younger ones, is harmful.”
King told the board that for the foreseeable future, the school district would be abiding by Arizona Gov.Doug Ducey’s July 23 Executive Order 2020-51, which requires school set policies requiring face coverings for staff and all students over the age of five, though it allows for laxness in instances when students can effectively socially distance, such as “outside in playground settings with distancing.”
“If a case of COVID-19 is connected with a school, YCCHS, along with our county epidemiologist, will work to establish a plan depending on the situation,” Horton wrote in her letter. “YCCHS may in some circumstances recommend a classroom or school closure to minimize spread among students and staff, depending on severity of the case and how many individuals may have come into contact with the virus.”
