3 Canyons District High Schools To Return To In-Person Learning
Oct 14, 2020, 4:47 PM | Updated: 11:48 pm
SANDY, Utah – Alta, Brighton and Corner Canyon high schools will be moving from a hybrid schedule to an in-person schedule, according to officials with the Canyons School District.
The announcement came just a day after Governor Gary Herbert announced new COVID-19 guidelines. Under the new metric-based system, Salt Lake County is currently in the highest transmission category.
District officials said the move for the schools is happening “sooner than expected, signaling a positive shift in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases associated with the school.”
Students will return to in-person classes on Oct. 19; classes Monday through Thursday will be in-person with Friday reserved for independent or remote learning. The district’s fall break is Thursday and Friday.
School officials said they “are heartened by these numbers and thank families for doing their part to slow the spread of the virus. For the past two weeks, the (Bengals and Hawks) have redoubled their efforts to remain as safe as possible. This has not gone unnoticed, and we appreciate all that parents have done to encourage their students to follow the appropriate safety precautions so students could return to campus.”
In recent days, active COVID-19 cases among students and employees fell to six at Brighton, seven at Alta and three at Corner Canyon — all numbers well below the 1% threshold that would have triggered further discussions about extra mitigation strategies.
Riley Sohm, a senior at Alta High School, said he’s ready to go back for lots of reasons. “Online has been really, really difficult,” he said.
Additionally, he’s missed his friends. “I love school and I love being with a bunch of people,” Sohm said.
His mother, Jana Sohm said her kids have done a great job adjusting and she’s glad they’ve had the chance to learn in a new way.
“They have adapted really well,” she said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity they’ve been able to have to use the online program.”
A small, masked group was able to watch the Corner Canyon vs. American Fork High football game Wednesday night. Lance and Denise Wood, who have two daughters at the school were ready for them to get back to school. It’s been four weeks since they’ve been in class.
“We’ll wear a mask as long as we need to,” the couple said. “Wearing a mask is a small inconvenience to get to do the things you want to do. Go out and be a kid and be a high-schooler.”
The District emphasized in letters to parents at each school that this is not the time to be complacent, especially as many families prepare to head out of town for fall break.
“However, now is not the time to relax. We recognize that for Fall Recess many families have planned short getaways,” they said. “Please note that gatherings or outings without masks or physical distancing increase the chances of a rise of COVID-19 cases in the school community. Not only do we want our students to remain healthy and safe, we want our kids in school.”
