Tucson Unified School District Delays Start For Hybrid Learning

TUCSON, AZ — Tucson schools are all set to begin hybrid learning, but the question of when still remains.

The Tucson Unified School District voted 4-1 at its Tuesday board meeting to approve a plan for hybrid learning, a mix of virtual and in-person education. But the board delayed a vote on when the hybrid model can begin amid the coronavirus pandemic, despite Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo asking the board to consider Nov. 12. The district had previously set Oct. 19 as the tentative start date.

“I honestly believe that’s not enough [time] and I think we have to consider the fact that we serve 50,000 students,” said Rachael Sedgwick, a member of the TUSD board. “We should put off the opening of school until the end of the winter semester.”

Other board members said such a delay could cause the families to move to other districts, and impact Tucson Unified financially.

The matter was tabled for later in a 3-2 vote with all six board members weighing in.

The school district recently surveyed teachers and parents on the best way to move forward and the results point to a divided community.

Roughly 70 percent of about 2,000 teachers said they would not feel comfortable returning to the classroom while 45 percent of the 20,000 parents surveyed said they want their kids to go back to school in some capacity, according to Trujillo's presentation Tuesday.

Arizona's coronavirus case numbers are slowing as the school debate continues around the state. Pima County reported 40 new coronavirus cases and one confirmed death Tuesday.

The school district's staff returned to their offices Sept. 21 and school support staff members were expected back Sept. 28.

Margaret Chaney, president of the Tucson Education Association, worked on the hybrid learning model and previously told Patch that a return to in-person classes should not be rushed.

"No one wants to be back in the classroom with our students more than educators. We love our students, our schools, our communities, and that is why we need to do this right," she said. "The health and safety of our students, families and educators must be the primary driver of when it is safe to re-open school buildings."

The hybrid learning model received much more enthusiasm from the board and was approved. In the plan, in-person students will attend school in the morning four days per week and study at home in the afternoon. Virtual students will start the day working on their own and will have online instruction with teachers in the afternoon. All students will learn remotely on Wednesdays.