Scottsdale school district to hire COVID ‘quarterback’ with $70K-$80K salary

PHOENIX – A Valley school district is looking to hire a full-time specialist to focus on issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Scottsdale Unified School District is also asking students who attend Thanksgiving get-togethers to quarantine for two weeks afterward.

On Nov. 4, the district’s governing board approved the addition of a COVID specialist.

“This new position would essentially be our ‘quarterback,’ the person who would direct SUSD’s efforts to ensure we are taking a consistent approach with our reporting to the county and with our communications to families and staff,” Superintendent Dr. Scott Menzel said in a press release Friday.

In a community briefing Friday, the district asked families who travel, gather in large groups or attend crowded events over the Thanksgiving break to voluntarily quarantine their students for two weeks before sending them back to campuses.

“We realize this presents a temporary inconvenience,” the district said. “However, with everyone’s cooperation and with everyone monitoring their households for signs of illness, such as cold, flu and COVID-19, together, we can all contribute to a healthy and safe community.”

Also on Friday, the district told its community that there were no current plans to return to online-only instruction.

According to the SUSD COVID-19 dashboard, which is updated every Friday, 190 COVID-19 cases, including 39 that are active, have been confirmed among the districts 19,000 on-site staff and students. No site has had more than five cases.

The COVID specialist job comes with an annual salary of $70,000-$80,000. The district is seeking a candidate with a bachelor’s degree and experience in health care and public schools.

“In consulting with MCDPH and based on my ongoing conversations with other Valley superintendents, it is clear that COVID is going to be with us for a while, and while I hope we don’t need this position for long, we certainly need it now,” Menzel said.

Here is the position objective from the job posting:

The COVID Specialist will provide oversight, leadership, and management of SUSD’s COVID-related needs to include active cases, contact tracing, and liaising with Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH). Additionally, the COVID Specialist will help create and implement a unified approach for current and emergent student and staff COVID-19 related issues.

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