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Student creates petition for Davis School District to keep hybrid schedule

UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 AT 5:55 PM

FILE- Davis County School District headquarters. Photo: KSLTV

BY CAMI MONDEAUX
KSLNewsRadio

CLEARFIELD, Utah — A high school student has created a petition urging the Davis School District to consider a hybrid school schedule, despite plans to increase in-person classes.

The district announced Saturday it would transition from meeting in person two days a week to four days beginning Sept. 28. The Board of Education voted unanimously on the decision Tuesday to increase the amount of time students spend in class.

“Opening schools to 4 or 5 days a week is not the right way to go right now,” said Mazie Sessions, a junior at Clearfield High School who created the petition. “We cannot risk our kids, our students, ourselves, our family members getting COVID-19 or getting quarantined.”

The petition has gathered more than 1,800 responses. Sessions said she’s also requesting the district to hold another board meeting to include student voices in the decision.

The announcement comes after a week of record-breaking COVID-19 cases in Utah — with 1,117 reported Thursday, the highest single-day increase since the pandemic began.

The Davis School District initially began the school year using a hybrid system, alternating in-person attendance based on students’ last names. During this model, students only came to in-person classes twice a week.

Elementary school students in the Davis School District will transition from two-days-a-week face-to-face instruction to…

Posted by Davis School District on Saturday, September 19, 2020

With the transition, all students will return for in-person classes Monday through Thursday with Fridays held remotely.

The move is the next phase in the long-term plan to return to in-person classes five days a week.

Elementary schools will make the transitions first, beginning Sept. 28. High school and junior high students are set to follow suit Oct. 5.

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COVID-19 coronavirus is transmitted from person to person. It is a virus that is similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:

Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
Don’t touch your face.
Keep children and those with compromised immune systems away from someone who is coughing or sneezing (in this instance, at least six feet)
If there is an outbreak near you, practice social distancing (stay at home, instead of going to the movies, sports events, or other activities.)
Get a flu shot.