| | June 17, 2020 Dear MUSD Parents/Guardians and Employees: We are writing today to share with you some of the many things we are working on for the upcoming school year. Prior to doing so, we hope this communication finds you and your family healthy and we want to thank you for your ongoing partnership. These past months have shown the tremendous level of dedication and resilience of our students, parents, and employees. As the landscape of education is changing, we are grateful that we have stayed connected and are working together to ensure the highest-quality learning options are available to our students. As we look to the fall, our MUSD Return to School Task Force has been hard at work developing a safe and thoughtful return to school plan. The Task Force is focused on safety and on providing families choice for their student's education. The Task Force's work is based on guidance from the Arizona Department of Education Roadmap for Reopening Schools, local public health authorities, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the input of our families and employees. We would be remiss if we did not also emphasize that our work is inspired by our District Commitments of strong relationships, equity, collaboration, deeper learning, and innovation. Over the past weeks, the Task Force has reviewed feedback received from parents, guardians, and employees through the May 22-Questionnaire and the June 4-Survey. Over 4,700 parents/guardians and almost 1400 employees responded to the June 4 survey. Thank you for your feedback. Your voice matters and assists us in our decision making as we develop our reopening plan. You can view the results of the Parent/Guardian Survey- June 4 and the Employee Survey – June 4 by selecting the applicable links. Below you will find several important updates related to the conversations taking place regarding our Safe & Thoughtful Return to School Plan. It is the District's intent to begin the school year on Monday, August 3, 2020. This date aligns with our regular school calendar and with the majority of the feedback received from the surveys. As of now, Governor Ducey has stated that schools will be allowed to open on time. We do however, recognize that this continues to be a fluid situation and public health restrictions at that time may alter the District's plans or restrict us from opening in-person. The Task Force is outlining contingency plans should we need to adjust quickly based upon the most up-to-date information from health, state, and national authorities. MUSD has a long history of high-quality education in the Marana community. We take pride in the strong partnerships that exist between our schools and families. We want nothing more than to welcome our students back to a supportive learning environment that focuses on social, emotional, and academic needs. We know our students miss their teachers, friends, and their school, and we miss our students. The District also recognizes that these are unprecedented times and each student and family has different needs. With that said, MUSD is committed to providing families choice to make the decision that is best for their student's learning. MUSD is planning to offer three high-quality learning models in the 2020-2021 school year to provide choice for students and families: - Classroom Learning
All MUSD schools will plan to open, as normal as possible with reasonable health and safety measures. You will find information regarding new health and safety measures in the Safety Protocol Plan attached to this letter. - Five full-days per week
- MUSD teachers and curriculum
- Chromebook provided by MUSD
- Social-emotional support
- Physical Education, Music, and other electives
- Accommodations and support services available
- In the event of health concerns, illness, or personal reasons, a student can transition to Flexible Learning or Distance Learning.
- FLEXIBLE Learning
Designed around the unique and individual student learning needs. Learning will consist of online learning at home delivered by MUSD educators, with the opportunity to transition to in-person classroom learning as individually determined to meet student learning needs. - Five full-days per week
- Provides opportunities for students to stay connected to their school of enrollment while learning remotely due to health concerns, illness, or personal reasons
- MUSD teachers
- Curriculum aligned to MUSD classroom learning
- Chromebook provided by MUSD
- Social-emotional support
- Physical Education, Music, and other electives
- Accommodations and support services available
- FULL-TIME Distance Learning
Offers full-time online learning experiences designed around the personalized learning needs of student. - Available for grades 5-12
- Five full-days per week
- Mesa Distance Learning Self-Paced Curriculum
- Mesa Distance Learning or MUSD teachers
- Chromebook provided by MUSD
- Social-emotional support
- Physical Education, Music, and other electives
- Accommodations and support services available
Families do not need to choose a learning model right now. The Task Force continues their collaborative work with parents/guardians and school-based parent organizations, Marana Education Association and teacher leaders, Marana Education Support Professionals and employees as we plan for the 2020-2021 school year. Working together, MUSD is preparing to provide our students with the quality educational experience that we have come to expect in our District. As the finer details of each learning model develops with a focus on school connectedness and high-quality instruction and our Safety Protocol Plan expands, we will share more information. Thank you for your trust, partnership, and support in the Marana Unified School District. Please continue to stay healthy, take care of each other, and stay connected. Sincerely, MUSD Senior Leadership Attachments: June 17, 2020 Letter and MUSD Safety Protocol Plan |
LettertoMUSDParentsGuardiansEmployees_June172020.pdf (201.8 KB)
