SCHOOL NOTICE: COVID-19
Safe Return to School Plans: November 2022
Mesa & Maricopa campuses: CLICK HERE TO READ
Laveen campus: CLICK HERE TO READ
Gateway campus: CLICK HERE TO READ
Safe Return to School Plans: May 2022
Mesa & Maricopa campuses: CLICK HERE TO READ
Laveen campus: CLICK HERE TO READ
Gateway campus: CLICK HERE TO READ
Update 01/10/22
- If you have a fever and are sick, please stay home.
- For those exposed to Covid and show no symptoms, mask wearing is recommended for 5 – 10 days. Arizona does not have a mask mandate, so this is a voluntary decision.
- The CDC has reduced the quarantine time down to 5 days for those who test positive. From the CDC: “On January 4, CDC updated COVID-19 isolation and quarantine recommendations with shorter isolation (for asymptomatic and mildly ill people) and quarantine periods of 5 days to focus on the period when a person is most infectious, followed by continued masking for an additional 5 days. These updated recommendations also facilitate individual social and well-being needs, return to work, and maintenance of critical infrastructure. Preliminary data suggest that the Omicron variant is up to three times more infectious than the Delta variant [14]. With the recommended shorter isolation and quarantine periods, it is critical that people continue to wear well-fitting masks and take additional precautions for 5 days after leaving isolation or quarantine [15]. You can end isolation after 5 full days if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved.”
Update on Facial Covering Policy 7/01/21
This update supersedes all previous versions of the facial coverings policy.
In compliance with state law, including Laws 2021, Chapter 404, the FY 2022 K-12 Budget Reconciliation Bill, masks are not mandatory but are optional for both scholars and staff as of 1 July 2021 for the 2021 – 2022 school year.
Heritage Academy continues to maintain mitigation measures such as washing hands with soap and warm water; using hand sanitizer; cleaning and maintaining health facilities; and staying home when sick.
See updated policy HERE
Update on Face Covering Policy 4/20/21
On 19 April 2021 Governor Ducey removed the requirement for facial coverings at schools. This decision will now be left to the local schools. Each Principal will communicate the changes for our schools. While facial covering may or may not be required at your campus, Heritage will continue to provide other mitigation strategies such as: washing hands with soap and warm water; using hand sanitizer; cleaning and maintaining health facilities; and staying home when sick. You can review our updated face covering policy HERE
Reopening Timeline letter sent August 11th
10 August 2020
Dear Heritage Families,
On Thursday, 6 August 2020 the AZ Department of Health Services released the criteria schools must consider to determine their reopening plans as directed by Governor Ducey’s Executive Order 2020-51.
On Monday, 10 August 2020 the Governing Board of Heritage Academy evaluated the benchmark recommendations and has approved the following reopening dates.
- Gateway – 24 August 2020 with a Hybrid Model
- Laveen – 12 October 2020 with a full in-person model
- Maricopa – 9 September 2020 with a full in-person model
- Mesa – 9 September 2020 with a full in-person model
The decisions to reopen were made in consultation with federal, state, and local health experts as well as our own community of parents, teachers and scholars.
The Heritage boards also approved a mitigation plan [CLICK HERE] and facial coverings plan [CLICK HERE] as required by the Governor’s Executive Order. These can also be found online at each school’s website. Please become familiar with these items.
In the next few days, each campus will be sending a letter of acknowledgement for each family to read, sign, and return to the school. This letter outlines that you have received a copy of our mitigation and facial covering plans along with other information related to returning back to school in person.
Overall we are glad to see across the board improvement in the COVID metrics in the counties in which we operate. Recently, Arizona has been recognized as a model of success by Ambassador Debora Bircks, the White House Coronivirus Response Coordinator.
While Arizona still has improvements to make, we are confident that the approved plans will reduce the risk of transmission within our scholars while mitigating the emotional and behavioral risks of being at home.
Your feedback and input are always welcome. We look forward to resuming our proven programs which Build America’s Heroes.
Regards,
Jared Taylor
Chairman/CEO
Heritage Academy Schools
(480) 969-5641
Guidance from State on School Reopening - letter July 23rd
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23 July 2020
Dear Heritage Families, Earlier today Governor Ducey and Superintendent Hoffman provided additional information and guidance on school reopening. While it didn’t provide answers to all of the open questions, they did provide the following information. (See Executive Order 2020-51) 1. The Executive Order today stated that there will be additional criteria to meet before schools can reopen in person. This criteria will be released Friday, 7 August 2020 . Heritage plans to open as soon as possible. 2. On site support services for our scholars with special needs will begin on Monday, 17 August 2020. 3. A face covering policy for staff and students is mandated in this executive order. The information on 7 August will help us define this for our community. In addition to the information above, I would like to add a few additional points. 1. Our school year will continue to start as originally planned. It will continue to be online until further notice. Please refer to the calendar posted on your school website. 2. Parents and guardians may view our Distance Learning Plan on our website. CLICK HERE to view 3. While there is still a serious risk of COVID in our communities, we are encouraged to see widespread slowing of the spread of this disease from the Arizona Department of Health Services. More information will be coming from your Principal as details are developed. Please read them carefully. Heritage teachers are the best. They have been preparing excellent lessons to continue learning in both online and in person classes. As your scholars abide by the “Habits for Academic Success” outlined in our Scholar/Parent Handbook they will greatly increase their changes to continue learning during this time. Sincerely, Jared Taylor Chairman, Governing Board Heritage Academy Schools (480) 969-5641 |
Back to School Update from July 1st
1 July 2020 Dear Heritage Families, I would like to update you on our plans to reopen. Like you, I’m closely watching the data regarding COVID as it relates to our schools and families. To begin with, please know that Heritage families are in the thoughts and prayers of the Taylor family every day. We hope each of you are healthy and safe. Arizona has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases. Directives on things like large gatherings, start dates, and masks have been coming very quickly. As I wrote a few days ago, our plans are to safely reopen to the fullest extent possible allowed by law. On Monday, 29 June 2020, Governor Ducey issued another executive order which delays in-person classes until 17 August 2020. At the same press conference, the Governor said that this reopening date was “aspirational” which means we will continue to have uncertainty in returning. It’s likely that this date is pushed back even further. Delaying school any longer is not in the best interest of our scholars and families. Therefore, we are planning to resume school on the same date that we previously published for each school. (See your local school website for the calendar for the exact start date.) Classes will be provided online until we are allowed to resume in person on campus. We don’t know the exact date of when in-classroom learning will begin and we don’t want to further delay education. As a result, scholars will need access to computers and the Internet to facilitate Google Classroom. To help us plan for reopening for in-person classes, we need to know who would like to continue online learning instead of classroom learning after the State has approved a return campus. We will need a response from each family by 10 July 2020. This is not an interest list, it is a commitment to proceed online after we are permitted to return to campus. Scholars who are listed will be required to complete the entire semester online through Google Classroom and may return to campus in the Spring semester, should we be allowed back on campus. If you would like to continue online learning for the entire fall semester, please submit your information at this FORM HERE. The form will outline additional details related to this type of learning. For example, there will be a selection of electives, but they may be limited and different from what we are able to offer on campus. Also notable is that our dual enrollment partners will support what we are doing both online and on campus. Google Classroom will again be our distance learning platform. We received feedback from many of you on what we did well and how we can improve and have considered your feedback in our plans. Thank you. We will be keeping the good and improving in areas we were not as strong. Additional training in online instruction will be given to our faculty to be more effective. At the same time, we would like to be clear on the expectations for online learning. Here is a document that outlines what success looks like in an online classroom. As always, thank you for being part of the Heritage family. Sincerely, Jared Taylor Chairman, Governing Board Heritage Academy Schools (480) 969-5641 |
Back to School Notice from June 18th
18 June 2020
Dear Heritage Families,
We are looking forward to seeing each of you again on August 5th. We continue to plan for a full reopening in the upcoming school year that includes the full package of academics, electives, tours, and trips.
Recently, over 1,200 families shared valuable information to us on returning and how we can open in a safe and meaningful way. From this survey, a majority said they are comfortable sending their child back in the fall and are comfortable with their child participating in classes that include close contact such as ballroom dance. Most also prefer a regular full-time school model with appropriate precautions in place. An internal survey of our faculty showed similar results.
With this feedback, we will continue to plan on returning to our regular classical academic model on campus.
State law currently allows public schools (district or charter) to administer education either online or in a traditional classroom setting. There is no State law that currently allows a blended or hybrid educational model.
As a public charter school, Heritage Academy is authorized by the State to run a traditional classroom model only. The previous survey captured information on some families who preferred an online model. We expect to receive more information from the State approving flexibility to administer school online. We will provide additional information as soon as we learn more.
Our reopening plan has two phases. Phase 1 will be the preparation phase completed by 15 July 2020. This phase includes additional cleaning of the facilities, procurement of additional cleaning supplies and training for our faculty. Phase 2 begins on 15 July 2020 as we continue to monitor the health and well being of our school and surrounding community. This includes more frequent daily cleaning of our facilities and encouragement of more personal hygiene like handwashing.
Key to this plan are the proven methods to avoid transmission of infectious disease such as regular hand washing and staying home for individuals who feel sick. We will support those who are concerned about the health risks of returning to school by allowing scholars and faculty to wear masks as they feel appropriate.
Since Spring Break we have been in constant communication with our Local, State, and Federal leadership regarding any government required restrictions. We will continue to be in contact with the various government agencies who are providing guidance on this matter. Due to a recent Executive Order from Governor Ducey, face coverings may be required per mandates from the city.
This morning our Governing Boards approved a Heritage Academy contingency plan required by the State for schools to fully return and reopen. A summary of these plans are attached to this letter. This plan contains additional details referenced in the two phases previously referenced. A copy of this plan is available HERE.
I have been impressed with how our teachers and families have responded to the many challenges and look forward to a full reopening next month. Thank you for your feedback and understanding during these difficult times.
Sincerely,
Jared Taylor
Governing Board Chair
Heritage Academy Schools
District letter sent March 12th, 2020
update for Mesa campus posted here: https://hamesa.com/schedule-update/
March 12, 2020
Dear Heritage Families,
The Heritage Leadership Team is closely following the Coronavirus situation in AZ and around the world.
We are in contact with local and state authorities regarding the impact on schools.
Earlier this week, Maricopa County Environmental Services Department wrote, “The level of COVID-19 is considered to be low in Arizona, and Governor Doug Ducey declared a public health emergency for the State of Arizona, as a proactive measure to give state officials more leeway and tools to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.”
At this time we do not plan to make any adjustments to our school calendar. Our Maricopa and Gateway Campuses will continue with their normally scheduled Spring Break. Our Laveen and Mesa campuses will resume school next week as previously scheduled with some adjustments as outlined below.
Additional measures are being taken to ensure the health and safety of our families.
- Over the break, Heritage schools have had additional cleaning performed to ensure a healthy learning environment.
- Some of our scholars have been overseas or in other affected areas during Spring Break. Those scholars who have recently toured France should return to school only after they have self quarantined for 14 days per Maricopa County and CDC recommendation. Scholars returning from Puerto Rico are not required to self quarantine.
- Any scholar who is feeling symptoms of Coronavirus or the common cold should seek medical attention immediately. This applies to scholars who are living with others who are feeling symptoms.
- MESA CAMPUS: Scholars who stay home for any of the reasons above or others should contact the school to get instructions on how to continue their schooling. By State law, scholars who are not present at school are to be marked absent, but we will not be docking points until further notice. All work still must be completed.
- LAVEEN CAMPUS: For one week, Laveen Scholars will move to a blended learning model on Google Classroom, Khan Academy, and other digital platforms. Scholars should stay at home and not come to school. Heritage teachers will provide lessons on Google Classroom for one week with the plan to return our regular schedule on March 23rd. More detailed instructions will follow this email, however most Heritage Scholars know their Google login credentials and use many online tools.
We know this matter is quite fluid and circumstances may change, including a school closure. We will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate actions as new information is available.
Heritage has an active presence on social media. Please follow us where we will be posting additional information.
Should you have any questions, please contact us during school hours or any of the resources listed below.
Sincerely,
Jared Taylor
Board Chairman
Heritage Academy Schools
Letter from Arizona Department of Education: March 12, 2020
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From the Arizona Department of Education:
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District Letter Sent: March 21st, 2020
District Letter Sent Regarding School Closures: March 31st, 2020
District Letter Sent Regarding Grading: April 14th, 2020
Additional Resources
FEDERAL
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/index.html
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) – https://www.eeoc.gov/facts/pandemic_flu.html
This was created in 2009 in response to the H1N1 pandemic and provides guidance to employers on how to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act during a pandemic.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – https://www.ready.gov/pandemic
STATE
www.Azhealth.gov/COVID-19 – The Department of Health Services (DHS) is leading all state-level efforts on COVID-19. DHS has established this webpage to aggregate all state information on the virus, including a screening tool for EMS and first responders (attached).
COUNTY (any missing counties either had no dedicated page or rerouted to the state website)
Cochise – https://www.cochise.az.gov/health-and-social-services/covid-19-info-0
Coconino – https://www.coconino.az.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2118
La Paz – http://www.co.la-paz.az.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=80
Maricopa – https://www.maricopa.gov/5460/Coronavirus-Disease-2019
Pima – https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=527452
Pinal – https://www.pinalcountyaz.gov/PublicHealth/Pages/PublicNotices.aspx?ID=3
Santa Cruz – http://santacruzhealth.org/HSAHome/HSADivisions/PublicHealth/CommunicableDiseaseControl/Coronavirus.aspx
Yavapai – http://www.yavapai.us/chs/
LOCAL
Remote Council Meetings. Section 7.10.3 of the Arizona Attorney General’s Agency Handbook discusses “Remote Conferencing.” In the event that a city or town council is concerned about gathering for a council meeting, the handbook does describe provisions for allowing members of a public body to attend by telephone or other technological devices. A jurisdiction would need to confirm that its local ordinances allow for remote participation in council meetings. Additionally, communities may want to explore live-streaming options for council meetings should large, public gatherings be discouraged. Please bear in mind that Open Meeting Law affords the public the right to attend all open meetings, so live-streaming services must be used as an optional alternative and not as a required form of attendance. The League recommends using the council agenda to communicate key information to the public, including if there won’t be a call to the public, whether or not some or all members of the council will be attending remotely, and any remote viewing/listening options available.
National League of Cities – Coronavirus Response Resources for Local Leaders. https://www.nlc.org/resource/coronavirus-response-resources-for-local-leaders
Microsoft, Google, and Zoom are trying to keep up with demand for their now free work-from-home software – this article talks about the free software available right now to empower telecommute/work-from-home options.
Coronavirus Local Response Initiative. https://www.bloomberg.org/program/public-health/coronavirus-local-response-initiative/#overview – “ Along with partners at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies launched a new program of support to help American mayors respond to the rapidly evolving Coronavirus.” The program is open to all cities in the U.S. and will accommodate as many participants as possible. Interested mayors and city leaders should email coronavirusresponse@bloomberg.org to apply.
Courts. The Arizona Supreme Court has issued an Administrative Order (attached) governing the judicial review of claims related to emergency measures taken by local or state government officials.
Reporting/Sharing Information. https://www.apstylebook.com/topical_most_recent This website has useful information from the Associated Press on the correct usage of terms when disseminating information related to COVID-19. This could be helpful to PIOs and social media staff as they prepare or push out information to the public about efforts to curtail the spread of the disease.
ELECTIONS
County Election Officials. https://azsos.gov/elections/voting-election/contact-information-county-election-officials The Arizona Secretary of State has established this website to provide contact information for all 15 county election officials. Please contact your election official for any changes to your election as a result of the COVID-19 virus.
CDC: Recommendations for Polling Locations – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/election-polling-locations.html the CDC has outlined recommendations for preventing the spread of the disease at polling locations.
Crisis Information
Crisis Lines
https://www.azahcccs.gov/BehavioralHealth/crisis.html
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Substance Use and Disorder Issues Referral and Treatment Hotline:
1-800-662-HELP (4357)
Crisis Hotlines
Crisis services are available to any Arizona resident, regardless of health insurance coverage. If you or someone you know is experiencing a behavioral health crisis, please call one of these national or local crisis lines:
National 24-Hour Crisis Hotlines
Phone
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1-800-273-TALK (8255) - National Substance Use and Disorder Issues Referral and Treatment Hotline:
1-800-662-HELP (4357)
Text
- Text the word “HOME” to 741741
Suicide and Crisis Hotlines by County
- Maricopa County served by Mercy Care:
1-800-631-1314 or 602-222-9444 - Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma Counties served by Arizona Complete Health – Complete Care Plan:
1-866-495-6735 - Apache, Coconino, Gila, Mohave, Navajo and Yavapai Counties served by Steward Health Choice Arizona:
1-877-756-4090 - Gila River and Ak-Chin Indian Communities:
1-800-259-3449 - Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community:
1-855-331-6432
Especially for Teens
- Teen Life Line phone or text:
602-248-TEEN (8336)
Especially for Veterans
- Veterans Crisis Line:
1-800-273-8255 (press 1) - Be Connected:
1-866-4AZ-VETS (429-8387)
About Arizona’s Crisis Services
Arizona has a robust behavioral health crisis services network available to any Arizona resident regardless of health insurance coverage. Services include:
- 24/7/365 crisis telephone lines operated by trained crisis specialists.
- 24/7 mobile teams staffed by behavioral health professionals who travel to the individual experiencing a crisis and provide assessment, stabilization and may triage the individual to a higher level of care, as appropriate.
- Facility-based crisis stabilization centers that offer crisis stabilization and observation, including access to Medication Assisted Treatment.
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ASU has also created a general document about stress during COVID-19 and one about anxiety tips for responders. Please find the attached documents and the live links. There is a nice infographic about stress tips for parents too. We will be adding more resources to the COVID-19 landing page on our website at ASU’s Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy. https://cabhp.asu.edu/
Here is a link to an article about stress tips for teens: https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/how-teenagers-can-protect-their-mental-health-during-coronavirus-covid-19
National Alliance on Mental Illness – Great infographics and statistics
https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Fact-Sheet-Library
Teens and Youngs Adults
https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Teens-and-Young-Adults
https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/NAMI-HelpLine/COVID-19-Information-and-Resources
American Psychological Society
https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/teens-suicide-prevention
Self-Care During Social Distancing from Mental Health First Aid:
Seattle Children’s Hospital – Helping Children and Teens Cope with Anxiety about COVID-19
https://pulse.seattlechildrens.org/helping-children-and-teens-cope-with-anxiety-covid-19/
***TIPS for younger kids: Recognizing that some of the students might have younger siblings or teachers/administrators have young children/grandchildren
Southwest Human Development
https://www.swhd.org/parenting-and-supporting-your-family-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/
https://www.swhd.org/tips-for-keeping-your-childs-toys-clean-and-sanitized/
Managing Stress in Uncertain Times from Banner Health:
https://www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/better-me/managing-anxiety-in-uncertain-times
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease:
https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma14-4885.pdf
Shelter in Place Healing Space from UA Center for Integrative Medicine:
https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/COVID19/sheltering_in_place.html
Resources provided by:
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Manager of Clinical Initiatives & Training | |
Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy | |
Arizona State University | |
The Collaboratory on Central the Westward Ho | |
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Phoenix, AZ 85004 | |
p: 602-496-2411 f: 602-496-1494 c: 480-544-2246 | |
email: denise.beagley@asu.edu | |
web: cabhp.asu.edu | |
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