FILE -- (Photo: Kelli Pierce)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Salt Lake City School District has again delayed the start of school after hurricane-force winds pummeled northern Utah.
The district made the decision because many of its schools remain without power.
The district is starting the school year completely online, except for a few special education classes and athletic activities.
District spokeswoman Yandary Chatwin says hurricane-force winds knocked out power and internet to several neighborhoods on Tuesday.
“We heard from families in Rose Park and the Avenues and Sugar House. So, it’s across the city and not just in one area,” Chatwin says.
Even though some students and teachers were lucky to log onto the system, the district felt it was unfair to others to start school.
“Without having equal access across the city, most of our folks weren’t able to get online. We’re really disappointed we weren’t able to start school today as we’ve been planning to,” Chatwin says.
Whether school begins on Thursday will depend on how much power and internet is restored to families so kids can take their classes online.
The district will continue monitoring the situation before making a decision.
“We will let parents know as soon as we make a call. One way or the other we’ll send a message tonight to let parents know where we stand. If something changes overnight, we’ll use our typical alert system,” Chatwin says.
The Salt Lake City School District will also post a decision about the first day of school on their website.
Currently, classes on Wednesday are canceled in both the Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber School Districts.