Superintendent's Message: August 2021

Dear Juab School District Families:

I hope you have all had an enjoyable summer break. I am excited to welcome you all back to school. Over the past three weeks, I have been reviewing and receiving guidelines from state and local health officials regarding COVID-19 protocols in Utah. A summary of how those guidelines will affect Juab School District is outlined below. I hope this information helps as you make decisions and plans that are best for your own family. 

Summary of COVID-19 Protocols for Juab School District

• Face masks – Face masks are not mandatory. Families will need to make individual decisions about when and where to have students wear face masks. Please know that most health officials encourage wearing face masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• COVID-19 testing – Testing will not be required in most circumstances, including for extracurricular activities (sports, activities, performances). According to state law, when a school reaches more than 30 positive COVID-19 cases it will be closed. If this happens, students must be tested to return to school for their learning and extracurricular activities – unless they have been immunized or have had a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the previous 90 days.
• COVID-19 vaccination – Vaccination is not a requirement to enroll in school or join an extracurricular activity. Parents should talk to their health care provider when making decisions about vaccinating eligible students (currently those 12 and older).
• Quarantine – Quarantine decisions will be made by the Health Department. Students will receive a quarantine notice if they spent more than 15 minutes in the same indoor classroom as someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The notice will recommend that these exposed students remain at home for up to 10 days, unless they are immunized, or have had a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 90 days, or choose to wear a face mask at school for 10 days after the exposure. 
• Feel sick, stay home – Students who have COVID-like symptoms should stay home from school. Having symptomatic individuals stay home will significantly reduce the possibility of having to implement “test-to-stay.” Additionally, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will not be permitted at school or any school activities during their isolation period.
• Remote Learning – Students who are exposed to COVID-19 and choose to remain at home during their quarantine period will be moved to “Remote Learning,” under the direction of their regular classroom teacher(s), for up to 10 days. Students who test positive for COVID-19 will also be moved to “Remote Learning.”
• Sanitation and hygiene – Schools will continue to implement best practices with cleaning, physical distancing, and other actions designed to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
• COVID-19 Case Counts will be posted on our JuabSD website regularly during the week so that parents have information for their child’s school.

I want to thank our parents, students, and JuabSD educators and staff members for all you do to place education and our students first. This year, I will manage our programs and communicate to keep students safe in schools and learning. I will continue working with our local health officials to monitor COVID-19 case counts in Juab School District and keep you informed of any adjustments to these guidelines. I am confident that we can work together to accomplish our goal: “Empowering our students to discover and pursue their dreams.”

Respectfully,

Dr. Hughes