December 31, 2021 - Happy New Year From HUSD

Happy New Year!

We hope you had a wonderful holiday! As we prepare to return to school on Monday, we would like to remind our community of the importance of staying home when sick. Whether it’s COVID-19, a cold or the flu, we want to minimize the spread of illnesses within our schools. Please remember to continue to keep your student home if they are ill and/or are exhibiting symptoms of the flu, a cold or COVID-19. 

We are looking forward to the new year and returning to class on January 3^rd.

December 22, 2021 - Tax Credit Donation Reminder

We would like to remind families who are interested in making a tax credit donation this season, that this can be made for any one of our schools through our HUSD website.

An  individual  may  claim  a  nonrefundable  tax  credit  for  making  cash  contributions  or  for  certain  fees  paid to a  public school  located  in  Arizona.

To  qualify  for  the  credit,  an  individual  must  make  contributions  for  qualifying  expenditures  per  A.R.S. § 43-1089.01.  The credit  is  equal  to  the  amount  of  fees  paid  or  cash  contributions,  not  to  exceed  $400  for married filing  joint  filers  and $200  for  all  other  filing  statuses. For more information, please visit Arizona Department of Revenue.

We appreciate your support!

December 15, 2021 - Happy Holidays from HUSD

As we enter winter break, we would like to take a moment to wish our entire community a happy and healthy holiday season filled with warm wishes and wonderful moments with those who matter most to you!

As a reminder, the District Office will be closed for winter break from Monday, December 20 through Friday, December 31, 2021. Campuses are closed Friday, December 17 through Friday, December 31, 2021.

We look forward to seeing our students after winter break on January 3^rd.  Please enjoy this special time of year!

December 8, 2021 - Potential Survey About HUSD Bond Election

Dear HUSD Community,

Beginning this week, some members of our Higley community may receive a phone call asking them to participate in a survey regarding Higley Unified School District’s recent bond election.

Our district is working with an external company who will be conducting these brief phone interviews. Interviewees will ask for their opinions and feedback on bond issues, specifically looking to see what swayed voters to support or reject the proposed bond. Survey participation is optional. The information gathered in these surveys will help us better serve our community.

Thank you in advance for your time and for providing your feedback.

HUSD Leadership

November 24, 2021 - A Message of Thanks to Our Community

On behalf of the Higley Unified School District, we would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to our entire community for their support over this last year. We are grateful to have such caring and committed parents, guardians, students and community members. Thank you for all that you do in helping us provide an engaging and supportive learning environment for our students. We hope that you take a moment this Thanksgiving to celebrate the holiday with loved ones.

In order to finish this semester strong, we would like to remind families of the importance of staying home when sick. Whether it’s COVID-19, a cold or the flu, we want to minimize the spread of illnesses within our district. Please keep your student home if they are ill and/or exhibiting symptoms of the flu, cold or COVID-19.

On behalf of our leadership team, we wish you a happy, healthy and relaxing Thanksgiving. We look forward to seeing everyone back on November 29^th!

Respectfully,

HUSD Administration

November 12, 2021 - District Communication

Dear Higley Community,

We are devastated to learn of the passing of MCSO Lieutenant Chad Brackman. Lieutenant Brackman was the husband of San Tan Elementary School Teacher Melissa Brackman. Our hearts go out to Melissa and their children. Please keep them in your thoughts as they go through this tragic time. MCSO has set up a memorial fund at https://mcsomemorialfund.org/end-of-watch.

Sincerely,

HUSD Leadership

November 3, 2021 - A Message to Our Community Regarding Preliminary Election Results

Although the preliminary results indicate that the voters in our district did not pass our proposed 2021 bond, we still wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support. While the results are not what we hoped for, we appreciate our community for taking the time to make their voices heard.

We want families to know that we remain focused on supporting our schools and students. As discussed in our bond presentations and at school board meetings, we are a growing school district with many capital needs. We will continue to have meetings to discuss issues and develop solutions to find the best possible way to support our students and facility needs.

While the election may be over, please know that we are committed to continue communication with our community as we work together to find solutions that benefit our students in Higley.

October 8, 2021 - Welcome back from Fall Break!

We hope that you had a relaxing Fall Break. We are looking forward to having students back in the classroom this Monday!

We would also like to remind everyone of the importance of staying home when you are not feeling well. As we prepare to finish this semester strong, we need your help with staying home if you:

• are not well and are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, or
• are awaiting COVID-19 test results, or
• have received a positive COVID-19 test result, or
• have someone in your household who has tested positive for COVID-19

Additionally, we’d like to remind our community of HUSD’s upcoming bond roadshow on October 12th at 5pm in the District Board Room. Please visit our HUSD bond website for more information about the proposed 2021 bond.

September 23, 2021 - Fall Break Reminders

Dear HUSD Community,

Our schools will be closed for Fall Break from September 27^th through October 8^th.  Classes will resume on October 11^th.  We’d like to express our appreciation to all of our students, families, and employees for their hard work and continued support throughout this semester.

Enjoy a safe break. We look forward to seeing our students back on October 11^th.  Let’s finish the semester strong!

Respectfully,

HUSD Leadership

HUSD Announcement: Viral Social Media Trend

Dear HUSD community,

We would like to make parents and guardians aware of a TikTok Challenge gaining attention and increased participation among students nationwide. This challenge is being circulated on social media, encouraging the vandalism and theft of school property, mainly focusing on school restrooms.

Through this challenge, theft and vandalism is being glamorized as individuals film and post these acts on social media. Our district leadership would like to inform students and families that the Higley Unified School District student code of conduct has zero tolerance for this type of behavior. Students who engage in this behavior will be disciplined, which can include expulsion and the involvement of law enforcement.

We ask that you please speak with your students at home regarding these actions. Additionally, if you hear or see anything concerning, please notify your school immediately. You can also report this through the HUSD Safe Hotline by emailing safe.hotline@husd.org or by calling 480.279.7233.

Thank you for your continued support.

HUSD Leadership

Important Reminder

Dear HUSD Community, 

We would like to remind our community of the importance of staying home when you are not feeling well. This will help keep our schools healthy. Please keep your student home if they:

• are not well and are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, or
• are awaiting COVID-19 test results, or
• have received a positive COVID-19 test result, or
• have someone in your household who has tested positive for COVID-19

Thank you for your support.

HUSD Leadership

Important Update: We Need Your Help to Keep Our Schools Healthy - August 6, 2021

Dear HUSD Community,

Given the rising number of positive COVID-19 cases within the state of Arizona and in our own community of Gilbert and Queen Creek, we wanted to stress the importance of working together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within our schools.

In accordance with House Bill 2898, HUSD cannot mandate mask wearing. However, we strongly encourage the use of face coverings to help prevent the spread at our schools.

The best way we have found to keep COVID-19 off our campuses is to be vigilant and to stay home when you are not feeling well. We need your help to keep our schools healthy.

As a reminder, please keep your student home if they: 

• are not well and are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, or
• are awaiting COVID-19 test results, or
• have received a positive COVID-19 test result, or
• have someone in your household who has tested positive for COVID-19

If we continue to see increased and sustained positive cases on a campus, district leadership will work with site administration to implement additional mitigation strategies to help reduce the spread on that campus.

Our goal is to keep our schools open for in-person learning. Thank you for doing your part to help keep our schools healthy.

Thank you,

HUSD Administration 

HUSD Important Update - July 22, 2021

Today, the Higley Unified School District was contacted by the Office of the Auditor General regarding the publication of its investigation pertaining to the construction of two projects in the District from May 2012 to April 2016.  The District cooperated fully with the investigating authorities during this process. 

The District was informed that a criminal indictment may be pending for a previous administrator as well as other individuals. The District does not have any further information regarding the investigation other than the information outlined in the Auditor General’s report and cannot speak to any pending allegations. 

As a District, prior to this report being released, our team has been working to ensure that our processes and procedures meet all applicable state and federal regulations.  Under new leadership, the District has been diligently working with experts in these areas to align all practices to meet state and federal compliance.  This includes trainings on appropriate and inappropriate usage of funds, required annual conflict of interest forms for all HUSD employees, and appropriate procurement procedures.  According to the District’s most recent audit for fiscal year 2020, there have been no material findings in the areas of procurement and compliance set forth by the Uniform System of Financial Records for Arizona School Districts. 

The District will carefully review all findings in the report to make sure that it has brought its current practices into alignment with applicable requirements.  Our entire leadership team is confident that with staff’s commitment to adhere to the current procedures and policies already in place, the issues raised in the report will not be repeated. 

HUSD Leadership

July 21, 2021

Welcome Back, Higley!

We hope that you had a relaxing summer break. We are so excited to welcome all of our students and families to this new academic year.

We have spent the summer planning and preparing for our students to return to the classroom, and we are eagerly awaiting the first day of school, which is on Monday, July 26^th.

As we embark on this new school year, we have so many exciting projects ahead of us to expand student learning and success. Below are a few updates and reminders for this coming year:

Mitigation Plan 

We have updated our mitigation strategies to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 on our campuses. For a detailed mitigation plan and more information on COVID-19 resources, please visit our website.

Strategic Plan & Portrait of a Graduate

This year, we will be updating HUSD’s strategic plan and our portrait of a graduate by determining our District’s goals and priorities for the upcoming years. Additionally, we will focus on the social and emotional well-being of our students and employees.

Updated Parent Contact Information

To make sure that we can get in touch with you about on-campus events or emergencies, please log in to ParentVUE and go to “My Account” to ensure that we have your current email address and phone numbers.

If one of the phone numbers is a cell phone, please indicate that as well, so we can send you a text message in the event of an emergency. If you do not have a ParentVUE account or need assistance accessing your account, please contact your student’s school so that we can assist you with this process.

HUSD App

Our HUSD app gives you personalized news and information about what is happening across our District and our schools. Please download the app today on Google Play or the App Store.

Bond Election

In November, registered voters living within Higley Unified School District boundaries will decide on a proposed $95 million dollar bond. This bond will allow the District to continue emphasizing technology, building safety, security, and providing funds for major maintenance and construction projects. Additionally, the proposed bond may enable the District to shift lease payments from the capital budget to bond, potentially saving the taxpayers an estimated $21.7 million. We encourage our community to learn more about this bond by visiting our website.

Kids Club

Don’t forget to register for Kids Club! The registration software for Community Ed has changed to a new and improved mobile-friendly software. Click here to register.

Again, welcome back to school! Our HUSD team looks forward to working with your children and continuing the outstanding work within our school district. This is going to be a great school year!

Sincerely,

Dawn A. Foley, Ph.D.

Superintendent

May 26, 2021 - End of Year Message

As another school year comes to an end, we would like to take a moment to reflect and celebrate the tremendous efforts of our students, employees and families in such a unique and demanding year. We are so grateful to our entire community who helped ensure our students were successful. Thank you for your flexibility, grace and patience.    

To our graduating seniors, we are so incredibly proud of you. While this has been a challenging year, you stayed vigilant, resilient and persevered. This accomplishment is just the beginning of what you will achieve and we look forward to seeing the impact you will have as future leaders in our community.

A few reminders as we head into the summer and prepare for the new school year:

Kids Club Summer Camp: Registration is now open for Kids Club Camp and spots are limited! Kids Club Camp provides children ages 3-12 quality care that is designed to highlight creative expression and promote physical and social development. Kids Club Camp is open Monday – Friday from 6am until 6pm. Please click here to learn more.

Summer Meal Program: Chartwells is excited to continue to be able to feed all children ages 18 years and under in our community. They will be distributing free food at three different locations. Please click here for dates and locations.

Virtual Academy: Higley Virtual Academy will be opening this fall for students in kindergarten through high school. Students will receive an accredited, tuition-free, high-quality online education. Click here for a brief overview of HVA or to learn more about enrollment.

Enrollment Reminder: HUSD is now accepting enrollment applications for the 2021-2022 school year through the Online Enrollment system. Complete your registration and/or open enrollment forms online. For enrollment questions, please contact your school of choice. 

We look forward to starting this next year strong and we cannot wait to see you back at school on July 26^th! Have a safe and restful summer.

Respectfully,

HUSD Leadership