PHOENIX (AZFamily) —It’s that time of the year, back to school.

Some districts have already started classes, and the largest school district in the state, Mesa Public Schools, begins August 1.

There is currently a surge in COVID cases right now according to the Arizona Department of Health Services but the State Superintendent of Education says schools will continue to operate normally.

Earlier this year, the CDC ended its previously recommended 5-day isolation period for those who test positive for COVID.

Now, they recommend treating COVID the same as the flu or RSV.

This means staying home for 24 hours after your fever breaks.

This change is something State Superintendent of Education Tom Horne supports.

“It was a huge mistake in my opinion to close schools. The academic damage was horrendous. We are still experiencing the consequences of it,” Horne said.

Horne is addressing concerns about a recent surge in COVID cases in Arizona as students are heading back to school to start the academic year.

“I think some students will be handicapped permanently as a result of not being able to go to school during that time. So if anybody talks about closing school I will fight it as hard as I can,” Horne said.

Horne says he feels students are still making up for lost time after schools transitioned to virtual learning when the pandemic reached its peak.

So, he says his goal is to keep kids in the classroom.

But what if they get sick?

“If a student has anything, has a normal cold, we urge them to stay home so they get the proper rest and so they don’t infect other students,” Horne said.

Horne is citing the CDC’s new recommended guidelines that treat COVID like any other respiratory virus and says students should not be at school if they are sick.

“We do not want the patients to return to school or to work until their fever has resolved and they have been without a fever for 24 hours,” said Dr. Wassim Ballan, an Infectious Disease expert at Phoenix Children’s.

Ballan says the recommendations are now in line with those for any respiratory infection.

But says if you have symptoms of a virus it’s still important to get tested.

“That will be helpful for multiple reasons, number one the knowledge of what the disease is and what the expectation should be and that also helps to protect some vulnerable people the patient might be around,” Ballan said.

Though the five-day isolation period is not recommended, the CDC still encourages masking in public for up to ten days after someone is diagnosed with a respiratory illness to help fight the spread.

Ballan says it’s not confirmed yet, but there will likely be an updated COVID vaccine this fall, similar to how we see new flu shots every season.

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