Maricopa County Department of Public Health Updated K12 School Guidance for COVID -19 February 16, 2021

Statement Regarding MCDPH Support for In-person Learning at Schools

In October 2020, the Arizona Department of Health Services published recommendations for schools “Safely Returning to In-person Instruction¹” to guide schools in monitoring community level spread and maintaining a safe learning environment.  Based on this guidance, ADHS states “If a county has all three benchmarks in the red category, ADHS recommends schools transition to virtual learning in consultation with their local health department.” This statement is a general recommendation. In discussions with ADHS, MCDPH and ADHS have agreed to support those jurisdictions who are able to maintain a safe learning environment with regular school-by-school monitoring, regardless of levels of community COVID-19 transmission. If a school/district does not have enough staffing to maintain a safe environment, or if a school/district experiences a school-related outbreak that cannot be controlled with public health mitigation strategies, MCDPH would support transitioning to a virtual learning environment. 

Further, with the recent publications emphasizing the benefits of in-person learning, particularly for elementary schools², and the emerging data indicating that in-person school attendance is not a risk factor for youth testing positive for COVID 19³, MCDPH recommends preferentially keeping elementary and middle schools open for in-person learning.  If a phased approach is desired, MCDPH recommends beginning with elementary and middle schools prior to opening high schools to in-person learning.

¹ https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/novel-coronavirus/covid-19-safely-return-to-in-person-instruction.pdf

² https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2772834

³ https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6950e3.htm?s_cid=mm6950e3_w