Utah County School Preps For Hybrid Schedule After Rise In COVID-19 Cases
Sep 1, 2020, 12:22 PM | Updated: 12:23 pm
PLEASANT GROVE, Utah – Tuesday was anything but normal for students who suddenly had classes canceled Monday for the next two days after officials said there was a rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the Alpine School District.
Teachers are now spending the off time to prepared to move to a hybrid schedule. Some students showed up anyway.
“I woke up and I thought we had school, and I come and there’s no cars,” said Ruben Valenciano, a student at Pleasant Grove High School
Valenciano is among 2,200 students at the high school who will not be getting any in-class instruction Tuesday or Wednesday after a spike in COVID-19 cases.
“I find out there’s, like, a lot of kids in my school with COVID,” said Valenciano.
Alpine School District officials said they will not be identifying the exact number of cases at Pleasant Grove High School, but they reported 41 students and 26 employees district-wide tested positive for the virus Monday. The elevated number of COVID-19 cases has warranted further intervention in the Pleasant Grove community.
For now, doors are shut. Deep cleaning is taking place and teachers are preparing for hybrid instruction to start on Thursday, where students attending face-to-face will be divided; half will attend for two days at a time based on last name, and then they’ll switch.
“It seems more safer than how we had it before” said Valenciano. “To be honest, a lot of the kids weren’t keeping a 6-foot distance, and the hallways were pretty crowded.”
The district has been working collaboratively with the Utah Department of Health, the Utah County Health Department, and Pleasant Grove City.
“We encourage all families throughout Alpine School District to unite and do our part to minimize the spread of COVID by wearing a mask, physically distancing when possible, and using frequent hygiene practices,” according to a statement from the Alpine School District.
A COVID-19 mobile site will be set up Tuesday and Thursday at the city’s pool next to Pleasant Grove High School. Health officials have said they prefer pre-registration, but they are not requiring. Anyone can get tested regardless of symptoms. Testing hours are Wednesday, Sept. 2, from 2:30 – 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, from 12:30 – 4:30 p.m.
