Maricopa County meets 2 schools virus benchmarks for in-class learning
Aug 20, 2020, 9:32 AM | Updated: 10:26 am
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
PHOENIX – Maricopa County has met two of three coronavirus benchmarks recommended for safely starting in-person learning for a third straight week, Arizona health officials reported Thursday.
The county met the benchmarks for a decline in cases and hospital visits, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services dashboard, which was unveiled two weeks ago and will be updated every Thursday.
But the Phoenix area did not meet the benchmark for positivity rate of 7% or less.
The positivity rate was 9.4%.
The health agency recommends the benchmarks be at moderate or minimal community spread levels for at least two weeks to allow hybrid learning.
Monday was the first day campuses were allowed to open under state requirements.
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The dashboard data came from the weeks starting Aug. 2 and doesn’t count the past 12 days because of potential lags in information.
The metrics are guidelines, not requirements, and were produced in a joint effort between state health and education leaders.
J.O. Combs Unified School District in the southeast Valley reversed course after announcing last week it would resume in-class learning.
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The district’s governing board voted Wednesday to implement online-only instruction beginning Thursday.
In-person learning was stifled when a sizable number of teachers and staff called in sick starting Monday. Classes were canceled because of the lack of staffing.
Schools shut down in-person learning March 16 because of the coronavirus.
Each of the 15 counties met at least one metric.
Here’s a county-by-county breakdown in how they fared in meeting the benchmarks:
Apache – Hits 3 of 3 benchmarks.
Cochise – Hits 3 of 3 benchmarks.
Coconino – Hits 3 of 3 benchmarks.
Gila – Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.
Graham – Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.
Greenlee – Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.
La Paz – Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.
Mohave – Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.
Navajo – Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.
Pima – Hits 1 of 3 benchmarks.
Pinal – Hits 1 of 3 benchmarks.
Santa Cruz – Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.
Yavapai – Hits 3 of 3 benchmarks.
Yuma – Hits 2 of 3 benchmarks.
