Update: All Arizona public schools ordered to close until March 27. See story here.
A growing number of Arizona schools are canceling classes or extending spring break indefinitely, as a precaution against the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The closures announced to date are listed below. They will affect tens of thousands of kids and their parents, as many schools acknowledged. The majority of schools say at this time they have had no known cases of the virus, COVID-19, among staff or students, but were closing out of an abundance of caution, despite calls from the state health director to keep schools open.
Are we missing any schools? Let us know by emailing [email protected].
Laveen School District is canceling classes starting March 16.
All BASIS Charter Schools in Arizona are closed starting Monday, March 16, but the charter school system plans to implement online learning starting March 17, it said.
Litchfield Elementary School District is closing starting Monday, March 16 until further notice.
Littleton Elementary School District is extending spring break and keeping the school closed for the week of March 16.Students are being told to return to school Monday, March 23.
Wilson School District will close "for a minimum of one week" starting Monday, March 16. "For all Wilson staff, March 16 will be a workday as we prepare for a possible long-term closure," the district's website says.
Tolleson Union High School District is canceling school through March 27.
Scottsdale Unified School District are closed starting Monday, March 16 and at least through Friday, March 27.
Mesa Public Schools will not reopen post spring break, starting Monday March 16. "At this time, we do not know how long students will not be reporting to school," Interim Superintendent Peter Lesar said in a letter to the community.
Balsz School District is closing school for the week of March 16 and possibly beyond.
Agua Fria Union High School District reversed a previous decision and is canceling classes from Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27, warning that the school year could be extended, if required by the state, depending on how long closures last.
Pendergast Elementary School District is closing schools starting Monday, March 16 until further notice.
Phoenix Elementary #1 will close "for at least one week" starting Monday, March 16.
Xavier College Preparatory will be moving to a "distance-learning model" beginning Thursday, March 19.
Noah Webster Charter Schools will close from Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27. For now, it expects to reopen its campuses on Monday, March 30.
Starting Monday, March 16, Brophy College Preparatory will move to a "distance-learning environment" and suspend all school events for at least two weeks, it said.
Avondale Elementary School District will close all schools Monday, March 16 through Wednesday, March 18.
J.O. Combs Unified School District will extend spring break through Friday March 20, "at a minimum," Superintendent Gregory Wyman said in a letter to the families that explicitly countered health officials' decision not to recommend school closures. "The feeling within our community does not support that decision," Wyman wrote.
St. Francis Xavier is closing school for two weeks starting Monday, March 16, and moving to a "distance learning protocol."
Fowler Elementary School District is closing starting Monday, March 16, through Friday, March 27.
Buckeye Elementary School District is closing for the week of March 16, for now.
Liberty Elementary School District No. 25 is closing through April 3, 2020.
Dysart Unified School District is closing all schools through April 3, 2020.
Gilbert Public Schools said Friday evening that it was closing all schools starting March 17 until further notice.
Phoenix Union High School District is closing for at least one week.
Roosevelt Elementary District said on its Facebook page that it was closing schools starting March 16 "until further notice."
Villa Montessori is closing school for the week of March 16 to 20, its head of school said in a letter to the community Friday.
Isaac School District said it would close for two weeks starting March 16. It said it would continue to serve breakfast and lunch to children "at all of our sites" during that time.
Great Hearts Academies has delayed the end of classes by one week, from March 16 to March 23. "We intend to resume classes on Monday, March 23, 2020," CEO Wade Dyke said in a statement Friday. "Should we need to extend again, we will tell you as soon as we have made that decision."
American Leadership Academy said Friday that it will extend spring break through March 20, "after learning that one member of our ALA - Ironwood 7-12 campus community has been identified as having a presumptive positive test for COVID-19."
Alhambra Elementary School District closed its schools as of March 16 "until further notice."
Tempe Elementary School District, which covers 22 schools, is closed indefinitely starting Monday. "Students WILL NOT return to school after SPRING BREAK until further notice," the district said in a statement. Information about work schedules and pay for employees, as well as school meals, is forthcoming, it said.
Tempe Union High School District will close starting March 16. "While there may be rumors of Coronavirus at a school within Tempe Union High School District, please rest assured that no student or staff member has reported [to] have been exposed or infected at this time," it said in a statement.
Madison School District announced Friday that it would "extend Spring Break beyond next week" and close schools until further notice. "However controversial this decision is, please understand that it is made with the safety and wellbeing of our children, staff and community in mind," wrote Superintendent Kenneth Baca. "Your cooperation is deeply appreciated."
Kyrene School District closed from Tuesday, March 17, through "at least Friday March 20," the district said in a statement, meaning that students will not return from spring break. The district said it would continue to provide school meals for students who need it, but said that information was forthcoming.
Cartwright School District is closed indefinitely, until further notice. "We understand this will cause great inconvenience but we stand with officials in our commitment to stop the coronavirus spread," Superintendent LeeAnn-Aguilar Lawlor said in a statement.
Osborn School District announced March 12 it was closing starting March 16, until further notice. That includes sports practices and competitions. It plans to offer food service to kids starting March 17, with locations and times to be determined.
Pima Unified School District closed on Thursday, March 12, after learning that one its staffers might have been exposed to the virus. As of Friday morning, it said it expected test results from that staffer by 6 p.m. Friday.