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

Suspension of Face Covering Policy

Dear HUSD Community,

Tonight, Higley Unified School District’s Governing Board hosted a special session to review and discuss the most recent information regarding COVID-19, CDC and local public health recommendations, as well as comments from the community.

After discussing current mitigation plans and reflecting on community feedback, the Governing Board voted to suspend the current face covering policy and make face coverings optional beginning Tuesday, April 27.

Although it is now optional, we are still encouraging students, employees and visitors to wear face coverings. All other mitigation strategies such as physical distancing, frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizer will remain in place.

We would also like to remind families of the importance of completing daily at-home health assessments and please do not send your child to school if they are showing any signs of illness.

Thank you for your patience and support as our District discussed the impact of this decision and the best steps moving forward.

HUSD Leadership

Update to Governor's Announcement/Mask Policy 

Dear HUSD community,

As you may have heard, this afternoon, Governor Ducey abruptly canceled the order that mandated all school districts and charter schools to require masks. The order rescinds previous state mask requirements, but it does not prohibit schools and districts from creating or maintaining individual policies or guidelines regarding face coverings.

In accordance with Higley Unified School District’s Governing Board mitigation plan, at this time, we will continue to require students and employees to wear masks during the school day and when on District property until the Governing Board has had a chance to review the policy. Due to the short notice of today, it will not be an agenda item for this Wednesday’s Board meeting. However, because this is such an important topic, we will be adding a meeting to evaluate this thoroughly and determine the best option for our community.  

Further information will be available in the coming days. All current mitigation strategies, including the use of masks, are still in place.

Thank you for your continued support and patience.

Respectfully,

HUSD Leadership

Re-Enrollment Information for 2021-2022 School Year

The 2020-2021 school year is quickly coming to a close, and we have entered the planning phase for the 2021-2022 school year.

As we work on solidifying staffing for our schools, making sure that course offerings for our secondary students meet student requests, and ensuring that specialized program offerings are available to all students who need them, we ask for your help in confirming attendance for your student(s) for the 2021-2022 school year.

For the 2021-2022 school year, our online school, Higley Virtual Academy, will be open for enrollment for students that wish to attend 100% online. During re-enrollment, if this is the option you would like for your student, you will change the school selection from their currently registered school to Higley Virtual Academy. For Higley High School and Williams Field High School students that will be taking classes concurrently at HVA, they should re-enroll in their current high school.

We ask that parents of current Kindergarten – 11th Grade students complete the online re-enrollment process in ParentVUE - https://parentvue.husd.org by Friday, April 30th, 2021. If your student is not returning to Higley Unified School District for the 2021-2022 school year, you can indicate your intent to leave in the Online Enrollment system.

For more information on the online re-enrollment process, including a detailed step-by-step guide, please visit https://www.husd.org/re-enroll.

April 7, 2021 – Mask Breaks and Reminders

We want to remind families that all students, employees, contractors and visitors at Higley Unified School District are required to wear masks on campus and at school-associated activities. Executive Order 2020-51 and the emergency order from Arizona Department of Health Services AZDHS Emergency Measure 2020-04 requires all school districts to have and enforce a face-covering policy. These protective measures set by the State Department are in an effort to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19 within our community. We recognize that as we get closer to summer, temperatures in Arizona will continue to increase. We understand that with rising temperatures, it can be uncomfortable to wear a mask. To help ensure our students are comfortable and staying safe, we will continue to allow extended mask breaks outside at recess, with proper social distancing. Breaks will be taken under the guidance of your student’s teacher.

March 25, 2021 – Return from Spring Break and COVID-19 Updates

Good afternoon HUSD community,

We hope you had a restful spring break. We are so excited to welcome you back to campus to finish this school year strong!

As we return to campus on Monday, we’d like to share a few friendly reminders and updates regarding our COVID-19 protocols and mitigation plan. As of March 25, 2021, these policies are still in place, including the mask requirement at all HUSD campuses and events.

As you may have heard, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued an Executive Order today (March 25) that loosens COVID-19 restrictions in the community. The Order takes away the authority for municipalities (such as the Town of Gilbert) to mandate mask-wearing.

However, it is important to note that we received official communication from the State Department that clarifies this new Executive Order does not include or rescind Executive Order 2020-51 or the emergency order from Arizona Department of Health Services AZDHS Emergency Measure 2020-04 that specifically requires all school districts to have and enforce a face-covering policy. 

We will continue working with the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Arizona Department of Education to determine when it’ll be safe to reduce our COVID-19 protocols at HUSD. For now, masks must be worn at all school campuses, on school buses and during school-associated activities by all students, faculty, staff, contractors and visitors.

Additionally, we’d like to remind our community that as we return to campus on Monday, March 29, remember to stay 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

Thank you for your ongoing efforts in helping us keep our community and schools safe!

Respectfully,

HUSD Leadership

March 11, 2021 - Spring Break Announcement 

• 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

01/02/2021

Dear HUSD Families,

Happy New Year!  We hope that you and your family had an opportunity for a well-rested break with loved ones.  As we prepare to resume on Monday, we need your help to keep our school community healthy and to minimize the potential of positive cases on campus. In an abundance of caution, we ask that if your student(s) has traveled, attended events or parties over this break with those outside of your immediate household to please stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days.  We encourage everyone to monitor their symptoms and to get tested if they have had potential exposure to ensure that they are healthy before they return to campus.  We all need to be vigilant and work together so we can continue to keep our schools open.  Without everyone taking mitigation strategies seriously it could lead to the closure of campuses. 

When we resume classes on January 4, remember to keep your student home if they:

• need to self-quarantine due to potential exposure,
• 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
• someone in your household has tested positive for COVID-19

Thank you for doing your part to help keep our schools healthy.

Lets kick-off the new year with a great start!  Enjoy the weekend and see you Monday.

HUSD District Administration

12/3/2020

Dear HUSD families,                            

At the December 2, 2020 meeting, the Governing Board approved the recent additions to our HUSD Mitigation Plan:  COVID-19 Cases on Campus.

The guidelines HUSD is using to determine whether a school campus needs to temporarily suspend in-person learning for a period of one full school week (Monday-Friday) will be determined by each campuses percentage of confirmed positive COVID-19 active cases. During this time students will return to remote learning.  Should this occur you will receive additional communication from the District and your student’s school site(s).

This plan would be considered only if the percent of active, positive cases on an individual campus is equal to or greater than the board approved threshold for 3 consecutive school days OR trends suggest we will meet or exceed the threshold in the immediate future.

If a campus needs to be temporarily closed, the cases will continue to be monitored week by week until the active cases drops below the threshold once again.

It is vital that we as a community stay vigilant by following essential mitigation strategies to help our schools stay healthy. 

Please remember to do your part by staying home if you:

• are not well and are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or
• are awaiting COVID-19 test results, or
• have received a positive COVID-19 test result

As we track active on-campus cases, our HUSD COVID-19 Dashboard continues to be updated daily Monday – Friday for your reference. 

Thank you for all you are doing to help keep our schools healthy as we work together.  

HUSD District Leadership

Free School Meals - Dec. 3rd, 2020 

As we gather around our dinner tables with family and friends, we find time to share our thankfulness for many good things in our lives. While we are not sitting at the same dinner table, we can still celebrate being an HUSD family. This year, more than ever, it is important to remember what and who we are thankful for. We are extremely thankful for all of our Higley Families, including students, parents, employees, and the greater Higley community. We are thankful for the patience, grace, and flexibility that all of you have shown during this school year. Thank you for the generosity, your willingness to go above and beyond, and for helping make Higley what it is.  We have had to navigate a lot of new realities, but we have been able to work together to make it as successful as possible for everyone.  THANKS for GIVING so much and for being supportive this past year. 

As you plan to return from the holiday weekend please keep in mind that we really need everyone’s help to keep schools healthy.  It is vital to the health and safety of our community that individuals stay home if they have:

• had contact with a positive COVID-19 individual  (click here for more information)
• are having symptoms of COVID-19 (click here for more information on symptoms) 
• been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting test results (testing information linked here)

Please enjoy the extended holiday weekend!

Higley District Administration