Tucson Medical Center CEO Pushes To Expand In-Person Learning

TUCSON, AZ — The president and CEO of Tucson Medical Center has asked local educators to give students and their families more options for in-person learning.

As coronavirus cases continue to rise in the community, across Arizona and throughout the U.S., Judy Rich wrote a letter to Pima County School Superintendent Dustin J. Williams. In the letter, she acknowledged the spike in cases but argued that schools have not contributed to the virus' spread.

“We understand the ‘why’ behind closing schools and transitioning to at-home learning, particularly in the early days of the pandemic, and appreciate how very hard you have worked to develop detailed mitigation plans,” Rich wrote. “However, what we know now that we didn’t know earlier in the pandemic is that school environments - particularly elementary schools - are not proving to be where spread occurs."

Rich, a registered nurse, also vouched for the medical professionals that work for her, saying that their children need in-person learning options so they can effectively do their jobs on the frontlines of the public health crisis.

In response, Williams told Rich that he doesn't have the authority to shut down or open schools, according to news outlet KOLD.

“As the elected Pima County School Superintendent our office does not have the authority to open or close schools,” Williams told Rich. “That decision is locally controlled by the actual district or schools. I can relay your message to our educational leaders or help by making connections but ultimately the decisions on opening or closing are out of my hands.”

Several Tucson-area schools have returned to virtual learning to help curb the spread of the coronavirus and the University of Arizona will do so when students return from Thanksgiving break. Tucson Unified School District, the largest school district in Arizona, has delayed the start of its hybrid learning model for the same reasons.

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, TUSD Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo told the governing board in early October.

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."

Arizona reported 3,206 confirmed cases and 53 new deaths Wednesday. 378 of those cases came from Pima County.