A message from Dr. Trujillo:
February 12, 2021
Hello TUSD family,
I hope this message finds you well during this final stretch of the 3rd quarter. At the February 9th TUSD Governing Board Meeting I recommended and announced the identified start dates for families seeking a return to on-campus instruction. Parents will have the options to send their children back to campus for traditional in person learning starting on March 24 or 25th, depending on the grade level, or stay fully remote. In order to prepare for and best facilitate a safe and effective return for our students, we are asking that staff return to campus no later than March 22nd. We will be working with campus principals and our Operations Department to make campuses available for classroom prep during the week of March 8th for those teachers that wish to get an earlier start on planning and preparing for the return of students. Please note the following details:
Timeline for In-Person Classroom Preparation
• Week of March 8: Voluntary Teacher Classroom prep
• Monday March 22: Full day remote schedule for students in which teachers assign students work for next day. Teachers are required on campus this day
• Tuesday March 23: Students complete their assigned asynchronous work. This is a designated teacher classroom prep day
• Wednesday March 24: Return to campus for in person learning for K-5 students
• Thursday March 25: Return to campus for in person learning for Pre-K and students in grades 6-12th
Parents will make their learning selection in ParentVUE no later than 2/28, and then school office staff will be able to make additional parent requested updates through March 12th. For a review of the options available for parental choice in ParentVUE by 2-28, please reference the information below. For your convenience a list of learning options by school are listed HERE:
Pre-K:
Full time Remote 4 afternoons per week ((Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) There is no school on Wednesday.
Hybrid on-campus 4 mornings per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) There is no school on Wednesday. Masks and all safety protocols are required. On campus learning begins March 25th.
Elementary grades K-5
Full time Remote 5 days per week- Please be aware that in some instances, students’ schedules may change as well as a teacher’s currently assigned grade level or course.
Full time on campus 5 days per week- This model offers in-person teaching on campus 5 days a week with a traditional school day bell and daily schedule. Masks and all safety protocols are required. Please be aware that in some instances, students’ schedules may change as well as a teacher’s currently assigned grade level or course. On campus learning begins March 24th
Middle School (grades 6-8) and High School
Full time Remote 5 days per week- Please be aware that in some instances, students’ schedules may change as well as a teacher’s currently assigned grade level or course. This model offers asynchronous learning in the morning and teacher Zoom class lessons in the afternoon.
Hybrid half days on campus 4 days per week- This model returns students to campus 4 mornings a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) for in-person learning. With the exception of some isolated situations, no schedule changes will be necessary as students will remain with their currently assigned teachers. On Wednesdays all students are fully remote for all classes. Masks and all safety protocols are required. On campus learning for this model begins on March 25th.
As we are excited to have all of our amazing teachers, staff and students return to campus, we also maintain a strong commitment to do so safely, and responsibly. It is in this spirit that our team will be expediting the purchase and deployment of N95 masks and clear “face shields” in advance of the March opening date so that these resources may be made available to the employees that request them. Finally, we strongly encourage all of our employees to make their vaccine appointments as soon as possible and to reach out to us for any concerns or challenges with regard to receiving an appointment for either the first or second dose of the vaccine.
Thank you again for your support and unwavering commitment to the students and families of the Tucson Unified community.
Dr. Gabriel Trujillo
Superintendent, Tucson Unified School District