Dear Granite District Elementary Parents,
The Board of Education met earlier this morning in special session to address a formal request from the Granite Education Association (GEA), to modify the elementary schedule. We know that this was an eleventh-hour request, but the board and administration concur with some of the concerns presented and agreed to consider those issues.
While the board approved a component of the GEA request, it also allowed individual elementary schools the flexibility to continue with the plans they have already adopted to provide distance and in-person instruction. All of these decisions were based on feedback received from teachers and patrons in addition to more accurate in-person or distance learning family selection data over the past several weeks since plans have been widely published.
- Students and families that have chosen in-person instruction will attend school in person Mondays-Thursdays.
- Fridays will now be a distance instruction day for ALL students. It will also provide elementary teachers additional planning time.
- Elementary schools may proceed, with their previous plans, and designate teachers for in-class or on-line teaching or have all teachers provide both types of instruction. The choice is left to each school principal, in consultation with their teachers, to decide what works best for them. Please look for additional communication from your school as appropriate.
- Thursday will remain a full instructional day with a few exceptions already outlined on the general calendar.
- All teachers will be prepared for distance instruction if we were to go on a modified or dismissal schedule, whether the need should arise within an individual class or school.
- Preschool families should not be impacted by this decision as they were not currently scheduled to attend on Fridays.
- Kindergarten students will participate in distance learning opportunities on Fridays similar to other in-person elementary students.
The board has also designated October 21st and 22nd as Professional Development and program adjustment days for all schools, elementary and secondary, to review and implement appropriate changes based on what we learn over the first quarter. These will be student non-attendance days (SNAD) and will coincide with the already designated end of term SNAD scheduled for Friday, October 23rd. This means that students will only attend on Monday and Tuesday that week.
We recognize that this adjustment to Fridays being distance learning for ALL elementary students may require some families to find additional child care and supervision. We regret this inconvenience, but the adjustment was necessary after reviewing all of the feedback and with the desire to address those concerns.
Sincerely,
Granite School District
