Attendance options announced for UHS students

Attendance options announced for UHS students
Posted on 11/29/2020
This is the image for the news article titled Attendance options announced for UHS studentsEffective immediately, Uintah High School students will have the option to participate in school via remote learning from home. Please read the remainder of this communication for important details.

Following Thanksgiving break, we anticipate another wave of positive COVID-19 cases in our community and at Uintah High School. The Utah Department of Health’s School Manual for COVID-19 recommends that schools close when there are 15 active positive cases of COVID-19 within a school in a 14-day period. We currently have 10 cases meeting this criteria at UHS.

With this projected wave of new cases, we anticipate a significant increase in the likelihood that students will be placed on quarantine. This will limit their ability to seek in-person help when needed and it will disrupt their ability to participate in extracurricular activities.

Under these circumstances, Uintah School District is expanding the choices available to families for how students participate in school over the next two weeks.

Beginning immediately, the UHS attendance procedures will be modified to allow students to choose between in-person and remote learning. Students who want to come to school full-time and those who choose to come to certain classes for in-person learning may do so. Students may also choose to stay home and learn remotely through Canvas. Students who choose to stay home will receive a “J” code for their attendance for each class when they:

a) Login to Canvas at some point during the school day, and 

b) Complete the assigned work for the class by the due date

A “J” code means that the student attended remotely on the day the code is entered. Students who attend in-person will continue to be marked present as normal. Students who are absent and who do not meet the criteria for the “J” code listed above, will be marked absent and all other attendance procedures will apply.

With our risk mitigation protocols in place, we believe that UHS will continue to be a safe place for students to learn. We understand that our students and their families are facing unique circumstances with COVID-19 and hope that this flexibility will help families make the best decisions for their students. We encourage families to consider this remote learning option as it will effectively reduce the density of students at UHS and will increase the likelihood of keeping our high school open for in-person attendance.

Following are some points of clarification:

1. Students who participate in extracurricular activities will not be penalized or made ineligible if they choose remote learning during this 2-week period.

2. Students who choose remote learning, will be allowed to practice and compete in their extracurricular activities as long as they meet the “J” code attendance criteria for the day of practice/competition.

3. There is no need to contact the school if a student chooses the remote learning option. Students simply need to meet the criteria listed above for each class, each day.

4. This is not an all-or-nothing option. Students can choose remote learning for some classes and in-person learning for others. They can also come for in-person learning on some days while attending remotely other days.

5. Transportation will not change, so families are responsible to provide transportation for students who choose to come and go.

6. Students who attend one or more classes in-person are required to arrive on time and will not be dismissed prior to the end of class. Students will continue to be marked tardy if they arrive to class late and traditional consequences will apply.

7. Students will not be allowed to hang out or congregate on campus. Students who are on campus must be in class or in transit.

8. Lunch will be served as normal.

This is a temporary (2-week) change. Uintah School District will evaluate the impact of this option to determine whether to apply this in other schools or during other future times/circumstances. At this time, USD is only authorizing this option at UHS. Other schools will continue with their current attendance procedures.

Teachers will determine how to administer quizzes and tests during this 2-week period. Students cannot be required to come to school during this 2-week timeframe. Teachers can administer quizzes and tests remotely, or they can administer them in person on or after Dec. 14.

Uintah School District will continue to monitor and assess the circumstances surrounding COVID-19. In collaboration with TriCounty Health we will make decisions to keep our students and staff safe while doing everything we can to keep our schools open.
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NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

No district employee or student shall be subjected to discrimination in employment or any district program or activity on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The district is committed to providing equal access and equal opportunity in its programs, services and employment including its policies, complaint processes, program accessibility, district facility use, accommodations and other Equal Employment Opportunity matters. The district also provides equal access to district facilities for all youth groups. The following persons have been designated as Title IX coordinators to handle inquires and complaints regarding unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation: Dr. Mistalyn Leis, Human Resources Director (435) 781-3100. You may also contact the Office for Civil Rights, Denver, CO, at (303) 844-5695.