SALT LAKE CITY — Utah public schools statewide will be dismissed for two weeks starting Monday, but will remain open to give students access to teachers and needed services like school breakfast and lunch in the latest steps to contain the spread of COVID-19, officials announced Friday in a news conference at the Capitol.
Distance learning options will be activated, and student learning and instruction is expected to continue through March 27.
“This is a health issue. We want education to continue but we want to do it in a way that protects the health of the people of Utah,” said Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, in an announcement made after school hours.
The preventive measure was guided by science and in consultation with health authorities, he said.
“It’s better to be too early than to be too late,” Herbert said.
Friday’s announcement comes as seven other states and several large urban school districts — including Los Angeles — are shutting down K-12 schools in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The states are Ohio, Maryland, Oregon, New Mexico, Michigan, Virginia and West Virginia. Large urban school districts in Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas, have also closed.
A meeting of the Utah State Board of Education will be conducted next week to address financial and attendance issues associated with the school dismissal, said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson.
Dickson said educators and other school employees will continue to come to work and be a resource for students, who are expected to continue their studies at home.
Some school districts have sufficient personal electronic devices that every student will be able to take one home and use it for the duration of the soft closure.
Others schools may provide packets of schoolwork for students, although they will likely be asked to arrive at the school in staggered fashion so social distancing can be observed.
Dickson said schools have been preparing for these events for weeks. “Today, I feel confident that at the local level, we’re actually set to go on Monday,” she said.
“To be clear, we’re in prevention mode, not intervention mode. We’re not reacting to a confirmed COVID-19 case in any of our schools. Rather we’re entering a critical new phase to stop the spread,” Dickson said.
“This is not a license to have social gatherings.” — Dr. Kurt Hegmann, director of the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Utah
Dr. Kurt Hegmann, director of the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Utah, said social distancing has proved to be an effective tool in stemming the spread of the novel coronavirus and should help reduce the fatality rate of COVID-19.
“I applaud the decision-making. It’s sound science,” Hegmann said.
However, individuals need to do their part by using the time away from school buildings to do their schoolwork and follow social distancing recommendations, he said.
“This is not a license to have social gatherings,” he said.
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who heads Utah’s coronavirus task force, said a soft closure will ensure students experiencing food insecurity have food, and students who require other services such as special education will continue to have access.
Schools will be open to help children but they will not be gathered en masse.
On Thursday, the governor asked Utahns not to gather in groups larger than 100 people to stem the spread of COVID-19.
“Avoiding large groups is really what we’re really talking about. If we’re putting kids together in a school with 1,500, that’s a large group. If every classroom has 30 kids in it, that’s a large group,” Cox said.
“If you’re playing Xbox at night with your buddy, that’s OK, unless you’re sick, then you shouldn’t be doing that. That’s an important distinction. We’re not quarantining every child in the state of Utah. That is not what we’re talking about.”
The point is to observe social distance but “we also don’t want social isolation,” Cox said.
Earlier guidance from the State School Board said, “Currently, children are not at a high risk for getting severe illness but can act as carriers, which can potentially put family and other community members at risk. On the contrary, not having children in school may increase community exposure, as those children may visit entertainment and other community venues. Decisions about school closures will be made carefully, and with consideration of unintended consequences.”
But Utah officials are now opting for the soft closure of schools so that learning can continue and large groups of children will not be clustered in schools as the COVID-19 outbreak continues, Cox said.
One in 5 Utahns is public school-age child so the decision to close schools means nearly 667,000 youths will be home and expected to be doing their school work. Statewide assessments will continue but the schedule will be extended to account for the soft closure, Dickson said.
“From an educational standpoint, I want to be clear, we’re not shutting down the schools, so learning will still be taking place,” Dickson said.
“We’re not quarantining every child in the state of Utah. That is not what we’re talking about.” — Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox
Herbert said it will be up to families and students to do their part to slow down the spread of COVID-19 by avoiding mass gatherings for the next two weeks.
“This is about the public health of the people Utah and we’re going to do everything we can to stop the spread of this coronavirus. This does not mean the government has the answers to every issue. Parents, individuals have to take responsibility. If you have teenagers, you need to talk to them about where they’re going to spend their time, what they’re going to be doing in their time at home if they’re not at school,” the governor said.
Dickson said at the end of the two weeks, Utah leaders will assess the situation and determine next steps.
In the meantime, school districts and public charter schools will be reaching out to students and families to guide them through the soft closure process and expectations.
According to an advisory sent to parents from the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind, teachers will have Monday and Tuesday to make final preparations for online or remote learning activities, which will commence for students as early as Wednesday.
“Spring breaks will not be affected and will continue as previously scheduled, even if they occur during the next two weeks,” said the letter from Superintendent Joel Coleman.