Students arrive for the first day of school at East Sandy Elementary, Monday, August 16, 2021 (Photo: courtesy of Canyons School District)
WEST JORDAN, Utah — Administrators at several school districts across Utah said the first day of school Monday was exciting and went smoothly.
Tens of thousands of students put on their backpacks and showed up for the first day of class in many districts across the state. As with every school year, the first day is always a unique experience.
“Across the district, there was a real sense of energy,” said Jeff Haney, spokesman for Canyons School District. “I call it a ‘back to school buzz.'”
Canyons welcomed back grades 1-12 today. Haney said pre-school and kindergarten classes will start Thursday. The plan is to have classes remain in person for the entire year.
“As we head back to school after the long summer recess, it’s fresh in their minds of what it’s like not to have the opportunity to go to school. They see the benefit of going to school and engaging in learning, even from the first day,” Haney said.
Jordan School District high school students had their first day today as well. The district’s middle and elementary school students will start Tuesday.
It was also a calm day for students in the Granite School District.
The major complaint among schools is the poor air quality.
Jeff Haney said there were some who did show up wearing masks and others who did not. Either way, there were not any problems.
“It’s a personal decision and we have asked all of our students to offer up that kindness and respect for everyone regardless of the decision that they had made,” Haney explained. “The teachers were making their own decision about what they wanted to do in their classroom.”
Granite School District also had no problems with masking reported.