5 Scottsdale Schools Closed Due To Lack Of Teachers

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Five Scottsdale schools will be closed Monday because there were not enough teachers or substitutes to cover for teacher absences following the Thanksgiving holiday.

The news came in a letter from Scottsdale Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Scott Menzel that was sent to parents on Sunday. The in-person and virtual closures will affect Arcadia High School, Chaparral High School, Desert Mountain High School, Cocopah Middle School and Mountainside Middle School. All other schools will be open.

We cannot ask our students to come to school for in-person instruction unless we can provide it
safely and meaningfully," Menzel wrote. "The lost day of instruction will likely need to be made up at the end of the school year. Please note that although tomorrow’s closures are not the result of any known COVID outbreaks in our schools, this decision is consistent with our commitment to individually evaluate each school’s ability to remain open."

All extracurriculars, athletics and clubs will be canceled Monday as well.

Arizona, as in years past, is experiencing a severe teacher shortage, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

This school year, approximately 751 teachers have resigned or quit, according to a survey from the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association, compared with 427 in 2019. Of the 751 who left, 326 cited the coronavirus as their primary reason for leaving.

In his letter, Menzel also asked families who traveled for the holiday to voluntarily quarantine and have their kids participate in virtual learning for two weeks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus as it continues to spread through the community.

"We have implemented mitigation strategies that include universal mask-wearing requirements, frequent handwashing, physical distancing, and asking students and staff to stay home when sick.," Menzel wrote. "Even so, it is likely that many of our students and staff who chose to travel for the holiday have been exposed to COVID and may or may not be symptomatic when we return to school tomorrow."

As of Tuesday, the district recorded 36 active coronavirus cases across its campuses. Menzel warned that the number could rise dramatically unless families followed the guidelines that allow Scottsdale schools to remain open, especially because, as he wrote, the virus' spread is occurring outside of the classroom.

"As mentioned in a previous letter, closing schools alone is not likely to impact community spread, but unless our families and staff follow our request that they quarantine following travel and remain home when sick, we will experience elevated risk in our schools at a time when community transmission is already substantial," he said.

Over 200 Chaparral families were previously asked to quarantine due to coronavirus exposure and the school district previously mulled a return to virtual learning.