J.O. Combs Unified and the Walk Out

Dear J.O. Combs Unified Families,

Last Friday, I shared information about Arizona educators voting in favor of holding a "walk­ out" to bring awareness to funding issues for public education. I have been in communication with teachers and school/district leaders throughout the weekend. As of this morning, our data indicates that the majority of our certified staff do not plan to report to work this Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27. As such, we must close all 7 school sites in our district for these two days. Student safety is our top priority. Schools will continue as scheduled on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. If anything changes at the state level to indicate that we can re­open, we will notify you immediately. We want families to have ample time to plan accordingly.

We are working with our staff in the District Food Bank to ensure children have access to food during our closure. Parents may pick up food boxes at 301 E. Combs Road, using the second driveway by the HeadStaii sign. For additional information, please call 480-987-5304.

We will use our School Messenger system, website, and social media avenues to provide updates to families. We encourage you to make sure that phone numbers and email addresses are current. Please contact your child's school to update any contact information. To view the FAQ sheet, please go to the district website at www.jocombs.org.

We appreciate your patience as we work to provide you the most up-to-date infonnation and thank you for your continued support while we work through this state-wide issue.

Sincerely,

Dr. Gayle A. Blanchard - Superintendent

Note: J.O. Combs District says it will close all seven school sites on April 26 and April 27 and the Florence Unified School District plans to close starting on Thursday, April 26 and remain closed until enough staff return.