Approximately 70K Students Return To Class In Alpine School District
Aug 18, 2020, 12:35 PM | Updated: 12:38 pm
LEHI, Utah – Students in Utah County have returned to the classroom within the Alpine school District.
On Tuesday morning KSL received an exclusive look inside Skyridge High School to get an up-close look at what student are experiencing on their first day.
“We’re so excited to just get this first day happening and get kids back,” said district spokesperson Kimberly Bird.
In a year where the first day of school is anything but normal, student body officers at Skyridge High School kept the tradition of cheering on their classmates.
A few miles away, peaceful protestors were outside Lehi High School.
“Ultimately it’s not really safe to open schools right now,”said protestor Kaylee Reinetz with the group Reds in Ed.Org. She said she has two siblings in elementary and one at Skyridge High School and she worries about their safety.
However, the Alpine School District assured that all of its teachers are prepared with PPE from both the district and the state, plus new protocol.
“There are four pillars we are guaranteeing are happening at all of our 91 schools: They are frequent hand washing, wearing these masks, thirdly we’re trying to keep social distance as much as possible.” Bird said.
Lastly, anyone who’s experiencing even one symptom of COVID-19 is asked to stay home. Bird said they are expecting around 70,000 students returning to the classroom. Students in special education have had plexiglass dividers installed at their desks.
“We’ve got about 10% – 11% of our student body who has declared online learning or a form of online and in school or a form of at home version of school,” said Bird.
But even with PPE, plexiglass in some of the classrooms and cleaning supplies provided, demonstrators said online learning is still the safest option.
“My little brother is severely asthmatic ,and the opening of schools can cause a big problem for him even if he elects to do remote learning because it will ultimately impact the entire community,” said Reinetz.
Students at Skyridge High School also received reusable school-tailored masks. Other schools in the district also have masks available for anyone who does not have one.
