All Peoria Unified K-12 students will start school on August 5, 2020 in a Virtual Instruction model.  Before that date, your school principal will contact you with detailed information about how your student will log in, what to expect for the first eight days of school, as well as more details about student laptops and internet access.

July 24, 2020

#ReturnToSchool Update

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Peoria Unified Families,

Today our Governing Board met to discuss Peoria Unified’s #ReturnToSchool plan and the Governor’s recently introduced Open for Learning Plan. All Peoria Unified schools will still open virtually for all K-12 students on Wednesday, August 5. Your school principal will continue sending you updates with the specific details you need to prepare your child for success for the first eight days of learning, as we gradually ease into the virtual format. A reminder that parents who wish to have their student(s) participate in Virtual Instruction for the entire first semester are asked to

opt-in by Monday, July 27.  

The July 23 Executive Order changed the date that Arizona schools can begin providing in-person teacher-led classroom instruction from August 17 to a time when the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) indicates that a safe return is possible. Our Governing Board voted today to begin our in-person learning no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 8 while we await benchmarks from Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) that will help us support a safe opening. The important takeaway from our Governing Board, district leadership and the Governor’s Executive Order is that we all want our schools to open as soon as possible, but that we are focusing on the data, not the date.

In the meantime, the district is establishing a Medical Advisory Team comprised of leading medical professionals in the areas of pediatrics, child psychology, nursing and epidemiology to help us interpret these metrics and make informed decisions about reopening our schools. While we remain hopeful that school can begin in-person after Labor Day, we are asking that all parents remain flexible in case this date is extended, based on the data and direction provided to us by AZDHS and our Medical Advisory Team.

The district will soon introduce on-site opportunities for more vulnerable students who need a place to go during the school day while we continue our online learning, as prescribed in the Governor’s July 23 Executive Order. Additional information on these opportunities will be forthcoming in the next two weeks.

We know today’s announcement brings about additional questions for families. We are bringing you updates related to our district’s #ReturnToSchool plan on our website in addition to what your school principal is sharing with you. This week we added more details related to special education, athletics and extracurricular activities and will continue to provide you with weekly updates.

Thank you for your support and flexibility during this time.