COVID-19 Update
Some information on these pages may be out of date or moot following Gov. Doug Ducey’s March 25 order barring Pima County from taking additional mitigation efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. We will update these pages as soon as necessary and possible.
The Pima County Health Department is assisting area schools with their back-to-school plans while our community continues to struggle with the COVID-19 outbreak.
On July 23, Gov. Doug Ducey and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman released their Arizona: Open for Learning plan, which instructed public school districts to work with their county departments of public health on plans for reopening with an eye toward resumption of in-classroom instruction.
On July 24, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, County Superintendent of Schools Dustin Williams, County Chief Medical Officer and Deputy County Administrator Dr. Francisco Garcia and County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen met with the superintendents of five area school districts to discuss how the county can assist school districts in reopening, and to provide the districts with information about the status of COVID-19 in the county.
On July 29, Administrator Huckelberry sent a letter to all county school superintendents, which said, based on the expert opinions of Drs. Garcia and Cullen, districts shouldn't consider in-classroom instruction until after Labor Day, or perhaps even later.
To assist schools, Administrator Huckelberry has convened a Back to School Committee comprised of representatives of all area public school districts, charter and private schools. The committee may also meet with the County's Back to Business Road to Recovery Subcommittee, which is comprised of a dozen public health and infectious diseases physicians and experts.
County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry's letter to Back to School Committee, Aug. 17
Slides, weekly updates
May 10, 2021
Committee Members
The County invited all of the public school superintendents in Pima County, plus representatives of Charter and Private schools.
The first meeting of this Committee took place Monday, August 10. The second meeting was held Friday, August 14.
Members
Dr. Robert Dooley, Ajo Unified School District
Dr. David Dumon, Altar Valley School District
Todd A. Jaeger, J.D., Amphitheater Unified School District
Dr. Edna Morris, Baboquivari Unified School District
Dr. Mary Kamerzell, Catalina Foothills Unified School District
Roxana Rico, Continental Elementary School District
Dr. David Baker, Flowing Wells Unified School District
Kathy Prather, Pima County Joint Technological Education District
Dr. Dan Streeter, Marana Unified School District
Dr. Manuel Valenzuela, Sahuarita Unified School District
Steven Holmes, Sunnyside Unified School District
Dr. Scott Hagerman, Tanque Verde Unified School District
Dr. Gabriel Trujillo, Tucson Unified School District
John Carruth, Vail Unified School District
Charter and Private Schools
Charlene Mendoza, Principal, AZ College Preparatory Academy
Jessica Montierth Puls, Presidio School
Larry Speta, Southern AZ Community Academy
Sylvia Calmelat, Superintendent, Southgate Academy
Kay Sullivan, President, Salpointe Catholic High School
Dr. Julie Sherrill, Head of School, The Gregory School
Sheri Dahl, Tucson Catholic Diocese
Mark Flanigan, Imago Dei Middle School
Mission
The Back To School mission is to develop local public health guidance for the safe return to in-person classroom instruction.