SALT LAKE CITY — The balance between safety and in-person learning is proving hard to find for schools across the country, and Utah is no exception.
Since public schools began opening their doors in August, a number have been forced to call an audible on reopening plans as Utah’s daily COVID-19 case counts continue to rise. Recommendations laid out by the Utah Department of Health call for increasing mitigation steps if cases surpass 15 at a single school within a two-week period.
As of Sept. 24, here are the Utah public schools that have been forced to close and/or switch to remote learning or a modified schedule.
- Corner Canyon High School moved classes online for at least two weeks on Sept. 21 after at least 70 COVID-19 cases were reported the week prior. Included in the case count is Charri Jensen, a beloved career and technical education teacher known as “Mama J” who was recently hospitalized and placed on a ventilator.
- Alta and Brighton High Schools moved to an online schedule Sept. 22 after the Canyons School District reported “a sustained increase in COVID-19 cases.”
- Draper Park Middle School will close for two weeks on Sept. 29 and pivot to online learning after 16 positive cases of COVID-19 were reported over the past two weeks, forcing nearly 80 students and staff to quarantine.
- Canyons School District in its entirety will switch to a four-day schedule, with Fridays reserved for remote learning, on Oct. 5.
- Alpine District’s Lone Peak, Orem and American Fork high schools will also shift to a hybrid school schedule Sept. 28 due to increasing COVID-19 cases.
- Davis School District will have elementary school students return to a four day, in-person schedule on Sept. 28. Secondary students will remain on the current hybrid schedule until Nov. 2, then transition to a similar schedule.
- In Granite School District, Granger and Olympus high schools will switch to distance learning for two weeks starting Sept. 24 after each school confirmed 15 cases of COVID-19 over the past two weeks.