FILE: School buses are parked outside of the Salt Lake City School District's Pupil Transportation building on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Photo credit: Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City School Board has decided to move all schools in the district to remote learning next week.
The board voted to have all high schools and Northwest Middle School start remote learning effective Tuesday, Jan. 18. All other schools in the city will move remote on Wednesday, Jan. 19. The delay for the other schools is so students can get properly set up for remote learning.
The district had a planned day off on Jan. 17 to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
District spokeswoman Yandry Chatwin told Jeff Caplan’s Afternoon News that at least four schools in the Salt Lake District are in the “Test to Stay” range.
As is the case with other Utah school districts, schools and teachers are struggling to provide an environment suitable to learning for many Utah children.
“There’s not been a single day when (schools) have been able to fulfill every sub request,” Chatwin said. “At one of our large high schools yesterday, one-quarter of the employees were out sick.”
They’ve been pulling other employees into classrooms, including paraprofessionals and administrative assistants. Still, Chatwin said that kind of absenteeism isn’t conducive to learning.
This story is developing and will be updated.