QUEEN CREEK, AZ — Some parents are taking their own actions to stay informed and keep students safe as the number of coronavirus cases in schools continue to rise.
ABC15 spoke with one parent who has three kids in the Queen Creek Unified District. He is part of a larger group on social media, compiling official exposure and quarantine notifications to create their own COVID dashboard. He says they just want parents to have a better idea of the case numbers on school campuses.
The group admits it is not the most accurate method, but members feel parents have been forced to do what the district will not.
"Tell us how many cases there are, let us make our own decisions instead of trying to make them for us," said Will Gunty. "We want our kids to be healthy, we want our kids to be safe, no matter what school they go to, no matter how old they are, it doesn't matter."
ABC15 reached out to the district's administration, asking how many confirmed COVID cases they've had on school campuses, and why they don't currently have a dashboard available to the public.
The district did not answer those questions but sent the below statement:
"For families who do not feel comfortable with in-person learning, we offer an online learning solution for students in grades K-12. Parents can enroll their children in the Queen Creek Virtual Academy at any time.
We sanitize and disinfect our school and district buildings daily and hand sanitizer stations can be found throughout our campuses. An increase of fresh air flows throughout all of our buildings; and when weather permits, we turn outdoor areas on our campuses into learning spaces.
Finally, we always stress the importance of families screening their children for any symptoms of illness before sending them to school. We also encourage our students to practice healthy hygiene habits and stay home when sick. Signs promoting these efforts are posted throughout all of our buildings.
When there is a positive COVID case in QCUSD, the positive case and identified close contacts are reported to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. Anyone identified as a close contact is sent a notification from the school/department."
