Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: This eagle statue in the center of the Thatcher Roundabout on Church Street and Third Avenue welcomes students back to Thatcher High School. Teachers and parents overwhelming expressed their desire to return to in-person learning Aug. 17.
By Jon Johnson
THATCHER – While the news is dominated by headlines of ever-rising positive tests for COVID-19, parents in the Thatcher School District overwhelmingly expressed their desire to restart in-school activities Aug. 17 and the Thatcher School Board is behind them.
Governor Doug Ducey previously set back the reopening of schools to Aug. 17, but Arizona State Superintendent Kathy Hoffman advised that to get schools to resume in-person schooling the state would have to first get its COVID-19 numbers under control.
“While young students may be at a lower risk for infection, the educators who make learning possible – including instructional aides, librarians, bus drivers, nutrition workers, and more – are at risk, as are students with medical conditions,” Hoffman previously said. “Those valued members of our schools need more assurances that schools and communities have the resources they need to stop the virus from spreading widely through their communities. Given Arizona’s rising case numbers and the fact that Arizona remains open, I cannot provide those assurances for the adults and students who are medically vulnerable in our school communities at this time.
I welcome more aggressive action from Governor Ducey and our public health officials to help mitigate the virus’ spread. The reality of COVID-19 in Arizona means that reopening schools will be a community effort in which we all have a role to play. Stay home, maintain physical distancing, wash your hands, and wear a mask when you are in public. It is only with statewide action and personal responsibility that we will find a pathway forward for our students and educators to return to the classroom.”
At its Thursday night meeting, Thatcher Superintendent Matthew D. Peterson addressed the school board and reported the results of a survey regarding reopening sent out to all the parents and guardians in the district. Peterson reported that the survey had a 79 percent response rate, with 77 percent stating they would like to return in person, 24 percent advising they would like to participate in distance learning, and 6 percent advising they would only like to have their children educated strictly online.
Peterson also advised that they were conducting a teacher survey as well and that 80 out of 94 staff members have answered the survey so far, with 74 stating they would want to come back in person as normal.
The return to school still won’t quite be the same normal as before but will have additional health protocols in place and a plan to use distance learning to teach children who may catch the virus and have to stay home for an extended period of time.
“We are all in this together,” Peterson said. “There are no wrong or right answers, but we are doing the best we can for our students and staff.”
As of now, the plan is for staff to return Aug. 3 to allow for training in health and safety protocols and then have students return Aug. 17. However, that is still up to the state, which ultimately could approve or disapprove of the reopening of schools.
The school board closed its meeting by encouraging teachers and parents to reach out to Governor Doug Ducey and express their desire to reopen the schools since the schools are bound by what the state decides.
“I am confident that our district is in the best hands and that their safety and health is the number one concern, directly followed by their need for in-person education,” said Thatcher School Board President Preston Alder. “Not only for the education aspect, but for the social, mental, and emotional aspects as well. We as a people need each other. We need support and we need to feel that. Our children are the same.”
