June 8, 2020
Falcon Families, Staff, and Community,
Thank you to everyone who completed the staff and parent surveys regarding the response to COVID and the reopening of our schools. While things seem to change quickly in regards to COVID-19, we will be providing regular updates regarding the district's work. We'll be sharing information with you weekly to assist in your knowledge and understanding of what we are doing to follow the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) recommendations and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.
The district is being as proactive as we can with this ever-changing landscape in planning for the opening of school. The planning we are doing now prepares us for the opening of school to meet the guidelines from both organizations. Below is a summary of the happenings related to COVID-19 planning in the district:
● Dr. Allen has established a task force that will be providing feedback on the ADE and CDC guidelines. This collaborative effort will provide us with a deeper understanding of the expectations of ADE and the CDC.
● Mr. Flynn and the custodians will begin a deep clean of our facilities ending with sanitization and disinfecting of all buildings and vehicles. Deep cleaning will start on June 15 and will end on July 17. For this reason, we are encouraging you to get what you need from the classrooms and offices so we can keep the buildings clean and sanitized in the event school starts regularly.
● The district has purchased sanitizing equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE). The sanitizing backpacks ordered will allow the custodians to sanitize a building in one to two hours every day. This sanitizing can take place during the school day to keep frequently utilized surfaces clean and disinfected.
● The backpack sanitizers will also be used on buses and vehicles between each use. Hand sanitizer, thermometers, gloves, and masks have been ordered if we need them when school starts.
● To remediate the possible contact for our custodians, they will be wearing masks, gloves, and safety glasses.
● 12-month employees have been working for the past several weeks, ensuring they are social distancing and wearing masks when it isn't possible to do so, and implementing other health precautions when necessary.
● We are preparing for athletes to begin training for fall FHUSD sports. Based on the AIA guidelines, we can meet the phases to keep the children and staff safe while preparing for the upcoming seasons.
In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing with you the progress and information from the task force, health and hygiene strategies and techniques, and the district's response to begin to prepare for the beginning of school regardless of how this may look for our community.
We want to thank you for your patience as we work through multiple guidance documents in a changing situation. Our goal is to have a plan of options for our families when we return to school on August 11 for the 2020-2021 school year.
I’m looking forward to serving the community, families, and staff of Fountain Hills on July 1st.
Enjoy your summer.
Most sincerely,
Kelly Glass
2020-2021 Superintendent
