April 12, 2020, 2:30 PM
As promised by the Governor, it appears the changes for April 13th have arrived. Due to effective mitigation, we have not encountered much growth in local numbers of Covid-19 cases and as such, we have not had to go into a full closure of our schools. Last week, the Governor extended to his “Stay Safe Stay Home” or the “Soft Dismissal” directive until May 1st. As a result, we will continue with the same plans as we have operated on for the last 2 weeks.
As we approach the end of the school year, graduation plans are still in question. With the status of the state, I am sure we will be several more weeks before any major predictions for end of year activities can be set. I have several vendors wanting to provide us with virtual graduation ceremonies but I think anything set today would be premature.
On March 20, 2020 the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) suspended the requirements for schools to administer statewide assessments for the 2019-2020 school year and directed the State Superintendent to pursue all related and necessary waivers with the United States Department of Education and engage with legislators to exempt the Board and schools from administering statewide assessments through legislation if needed.
On both April 13th and April 14th, all District Superintendents will participate in a series of meetings where details of the last legislative session are discussed and when the state will provide financial numbers for the next school year. I am certain that more information on the remainder of this school year will be presented. If there is substantial news one way or the other, I will update that information on this site.
For additional resources as provided by the State Board of Education, please visit the USBE Covid-19 Resources site at: https://www.schools.utah.gov/coronavirus
Extended School “Soft Closure” Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)