Utah Governor Gary Herbert announced that Utah's K-12 and charter schools will remain closed through Friday, May 1. (Photo credit, Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Governor Gary Herbert says that Utah’s K-12 public schools will remain closed for six more weeks.
In a statement, the Governor said that distance learning will continue where it is feasible to do so. And he says that school employees will be limited at school buildings in accordance with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines to avoid gatherings of ten people or more.
“These are unprecedented times in Utah’s and our nation’s history,” the governor said. “I have been overwhelmed with Utahns’ outpouring of support … and nowhere has this been more evident than in the way our educators are supporting Utah students and families.
Utah State Superintendent Sydnee Dickson says the state realizes that extending the public/charter school dismissal will create more work and stress for parents.
“However it is a necessary step in stopping the spread of COVID-19,” she said. And she stressed the importance of remaining socially connected with students and families as distance learning continues.
Those K-12 public schools which are providing meal services to students will continue to do so on an as-needed basis. The Utah State Board of Education has created this website illustrating where emergency meals for children are available every day.
Along with the announcement of extending K-12 dismissal, today the Governor also announced that all of Utah’s technical colleges will temporarily stop all instruction and coursework beginning on Monday, March 30th and extending through Friday, May 1st. Because of the hands-on nature of technical instruction, offering online courses is not considered to be a feasible option.
However, for technical college students who are close to graduating, the state has given college presidents discretion to create online coursework and to allow small groups of students access to instructional equipment that can be properly sterilized.
If you attend a technical college in Utah, you are asked to contact your college for further guidance.