SALT LAKE CITY-The Utah State Board of Education wants public schools to have prepared plans for the return to school this autumn by August 1.
The board has debated and discussed school opening plan requirements and recommendations for more than four hours Thursday.
These are intended to become part of Utah Gov. Gary Herbert’s Utah Leads Together plan.
Superintendent Sydnee Dickson stated the governor’s expectation is that recommendations and requirements would have been ready for the Utah Leads Together committee to discuss Friday morning.
Board member Carol Lear said local school districts and charter school board plans need to be in place no later than August 1 so families can plan for the coming school year.
Dickson agreed that there were many reasons for the school board to come to an agreement on a template. However, she told the board it was a living document and could be revisited if more information emerges.
The board pushed on and approved a document spelling out requirements and recommendations for considerations such as social distancing, wearing of masks, riding school buses, cafeteria practices, hygiene practices, contact tracings and large-group gatherings.
Riding a school bus would require staff and other passengers to wear masks while bus seats and other high-touch surfaces would require cleaning and disinfecting.
Meanwhile, districts could determine how to maximize physical distancing or come up with ways to protect drivers, such as placing Plexiglass around bus drivers’ seats or assigning seating to assist with contact tracing.
