As Chandler students return to school, Arizona districts balance COVID-19 quarantine rules

Amid an ongoing dispute over whether Arizona school districts can require unvaccinated students to quarantine, the state's second-largest school district will make quarantining optional for students without symptoms who are exposed to COVID-19 unless community spread or active cases in the school reach a specific threshold.

Chandler Unified School District No. 80, which opens for its first day of school Wednesday, modified its quarantine policy this week, according to the district’s informational page.

The policy allows students who have been exposed to COVID-19 the option to quarantine for up to 10 days but does not mandate it unless they are symptomatic or the county reaches high community spread at the same time as campus spread is above 1%-2%, depending on the grade level.

The approach comes after the Governor's Office told two districts to change their quarantine policies.

Last week, Gov. Doug Ducey's education policy adviser demanded Peoria Unified and Catalina Foothills change their policies to quarantine unvaccinated students who are exposed to COVID-19, arguing it violates state law, which prohibits districts from mandating masks or vaccinates. That set off a broad conversation, among districts, health policy experts and families, about who has authority over health policy, and in what context.

That dispute has not been clearly resolved. Both the Peoria and Catalina Foothills districts say they are keeping their quarantine policies, and have not had further contact from the governor's office. Gov. Ducey’s office did not respond to a request for comment. 

But since the Governor’s Office first sent its letter July 14, the Arizona Public Health Association, the Arizona Medical Association and concerned parents have all spoken up in favor of allowing school districts to follow public health guidelines when setting out health rules for students. The American Academy of Pediatrics also issued recommendations this week that everyone older than 2 wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health advises that anyone who has been fully vaccinated does not need to quarantine, but that unvaccinated students and staff exposed to the virus are expected to do so for up to 10 days.

Dr. Cara Christ, the Arizona Department of Health Services director, said school districts are encouraged to use a variety of tools to keep school environments safe, including social distancing and quarantine policies.

“Asymptomatic vaccinated people may be exempted from quarantine,” said Christ, but schools should defer to their local public health bodies on implementation. “Our public health departments are the experts at working with schools.”

While what’s next for quarantine policies in Arizona schools is uncertain, observers say one possibility is an executive order from the governor’s office, similar to the one issued in June to prevent Arizona State University and other public higher education institutions from implementing requirements for unvaccinated students on campus this fall.

Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association and a former Arizona state health director, said such orders are an example of the governor “grossly misusing” his emergency authority for measures that limit masks and quarantine policies. 

A group of parents and physicians calling themselves The Right to Safe Schools for Arizona Kids also weighed in, saying they want districts to be allowed to follow healthy policy guidance.

“We need to let our districts do what it takes to keep our students safe,” said member Trevor Nelson.

The group is circulating a petition they say is nearing 3,000 signatures that they plan to send to the Governor’s Office. 

Mark Joraanstad, executive director of the Arizona School Administrators association, said he is concerned schools not allowed to quarantine unvaccinated students may have to quarantine everyone in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak. The effect would be less in-person school — for all students.

“It would take the whole school to virtual learning,” he said. “Districts want to provide a safe and welcoming environment, not just to students, but the staff members as well.”

Districts' COVID-19 mitigation strategies join others in place for communicable diseases, such as vaccination requirements for measles, said James Hodge, a law professor and director of the Center for Public Health Law and Policy at Arizona State University.

“Those measures are not any different than what you’re seeing with COVID-19-related measures, because they’re all designed to protect the public’s health,” Hodge said. “They're the same tools we've applied for years and years. It's just when you apply them in the COVID settings that highly politicized things get dicey.”

As schools reopen amidst the emergence of the highly contagious Delta variant, the question of quarantines is likely to become increasingly important.

In Scottsdale Unified School District, unvaccinated students and staff who were exposed to COVID-19 will be expected to quarantine. In the Paradise Valley Unified School District, which serves primarily elementary students, any students exposed to COVID-19 would be expected to quarantine. 

Catalina Foothills in Tucson, one of the districts that drew the attention of the Governor’s Office last week plans on a similar policy. 

“For us, nothing has changed,” said Julie Farbarik, director of alumni and community relations for the district. “Our mitigation plan continues to follow the guidance being provided to us by federal, local and national health authorities.”

Andrew Favakeh contributed reporting. 

Reach the reporter at ykunichoff@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @yanazure.

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