July 18, 2022
BUHSD Students, Parents, and Guardians,
We are very excited for the 2022-23 school year to officially get started on Wednesday, August 3rd and we look forward to welcoming students back to their campuses in a more normal first day of school fashion. Please be reminded that the first day of school follows the late start bell schedule on all school campuses and buses will run a little later than on normal days. If you are unsure of that schedule, please visit the individual school websites for the bell schedule information. As we get ready to return, I want to share with you some of the things you can expect starting on August 3rd.
Face Coverings and Masks – Face coverings will again be optional for both students and staff on all our campuses. Anyone who has concerns or desires to wear a face covering while on our campuses is encouraged to do so.
Covid Mitigation – BUHSD will continue to follow the guidance of the CDC and Maricopa County health Department as to how we will mitigate known COVID cases when they arise. We learned a great deal over the past year of living through this pandemic and will be continuing some of those practices on our campuses this school year. Students will continue to be encouraged to use hand sanitizer or wash their hands upon arrival at school, after being outside for physical activity, before and after meals, prior to leaving school for home, and after sneezing, coughing, or blowing nose.
Transportation – BUHSD has always had policy in place that determines which students in the district are considered “walkers” and which students are eligible to ride a school bus to and from school. In our school district, Policy EEAA states - students who are residents within a school attendance area and live more than a mile and a half (1 1/2) from the school will be eligible to ride the bus to and from their home school. All other students who live inside a mile and a half are not eligible to ride the bus to and from school. This includes students who are attending another district school on open enrollment or are attending a district school from outside the district on open enrollment. This policy will be strictly enforced. For a student to get on a district school bus, they will have to show their district ID which will have their route number printed on it indicating they meet the qualifications to ride a school bus. Students will be limited to only riding the designated bus for the area in which they reside.
Participation Fee – All students participating in athletics or extracurricular activities will be charged a $100.00 fee per sport for the first two sports or activities, per year. Students participating in more than one of the qualifying activities will have a cap of $200.00 per year. Families who have multiple students participating in multiple sports or activities will have a $300.00 family cap on participation fees. This fee qualifies for the State of Arizona’s Tax Credit Program, so parents will have the option of receiving a dollar-for-dollar credit on their state income tax return for the fee paid. After the fee is paid, parents can keep their receipt for tax purposes. Students can participate in multiple activities within the school year without paying an additional participation fee once the cap is met.
Technology Fee- Our district technology fee for the for the use and care of the devices that our students receive has increased to $50 per student per year per student.
Class Size - Because of the approximately 9 district-wide teaching positions being reduced that were funded by the override, our district has had to increase class size for 2022-23 by an average of 1.25 students per class. Our new district class size average 33.75. Please keep in mind that this is a class average and not a max on class size.
BUHSD is committed to continue to develop students who think critically, can apply knowledge at high levels, and use technology to access, evaluate, and communicate information. Our rigorous academic standards and 21st century skills will continue to bridge to authentic, intellectually challenging work by students. We would like to thank you in advance for choosing the Buckeye Union High School district and we hope that your 2022-23 school year is outstanding.
Sincerely,
Dr. Steve Bebee
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