North Sanpete School District and South Sanpete School District are finalizing their plans for going back to school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. An order from the Utah State Board of Education approved by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has set a deadline of Aug. 1 for Utah’s public school districts to release their school reopening plans to the public.

Those plans must first be approved by each district’s board of education. Utah’s schools have been closed since March 16 due to the pandemic.

Ralph Squire, superintendent of South Sanpete School District said his district sent out a survey to parents on July 6 asking if they wanted their children to go back to schools or utilize online learning.

More than 2,650 surveys were completed, an approximately 82 percent response rate. Squire said the district received 400 responses in the first five minutes of the survey, which was texted to parents.

The response was overwhelmingly in favor of classroom learning. “Between 84 and 85 percent want to go back face to face. They want the kids back in the classroom,” Squire said.

Nan Ault, superintendent of North Sanpete School District, said a survey sent out to parents in her district in June had a similar outcome, with more than 80 percent of parents saying they wanted their children in the classroom this fall.

Figuring out what that classroom experience will be like has been key to creating the plan to return to school, Ault said. The district has had to consider things like how to conduct cleaning and maintain social distancing, how to control movement in hallways and classrooms, and how to provide accommodations for people at risk.

North Sanpete has ordered reusable masks and face shields for younger grades. The district has N95 masks for its bus drivers as well as glass shields for lunch workers and other staff.

“We’ve tried to really kind of think ahead of what it is we need. … This is new territory, but we’re going to make it work,” Ault said.

North Sanpete will be offering an online learning option for students in addition to classroom instruction, Ault said.

A notice to parents on the South Sanpete School District website states that district is preparing to offer traditional face-to-face classroom instruction for all courses as well as online/virtual learning.

“We strongly recommend students returning to the classroom with their teachers,” the SSSD website states. “Traditional face-to-face instruction with a teacher is the best scenario for students. We understand this is not possible for all students and in all cases.”

Squire said the state provided a template districts could utilize in developing their plans if they desired, and the Utah state superintendent has been having weekly meetings with school district superintendents.

Additionally, representatives of seven rural school districts – North Sanpete, South Sanpete, Juab, Tintic, Sevier, Piute and Wayne, all members of the Central Utah Educational Services organization – have been meeting regularly to collaborate as they developed their plans.

“The nicest thing about this whole thing is it’s not just South Sanpete on an island. This is affecting every district in the state and every district in the nation,” Squire said.

Squire said he believes his district needs to provide a school experience that’s as normal as possible while keeping the risk minimal.

“We want parents to understand we’re doing the best we can and we’re not trying to make it difficult or hard for people,” he said. “We’re trying to meet their needs and we’re trying to meet requirements that are being placed on us as school districts.”