Most counties in Arizona, including Maricopa, have been cleared to transition their schools to some form of in-person learning.
The state Department of Health Services announced Thursday that eight counties now meet the benchmarks required to do a hybrid of remote and in-person instruction if they choose to. Meanwhile, Greenlee and La Paz counties, which are more rural, got the greenlight to switch to full-time, in-person classes. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, however, is urging caution as school districts consider whether to make the switch. Hoffman says COVID-19 can spread so quickly as it did this summer in Arizona.