This message is for parents and guardians of Sprucewood Elementary students. Canyons District’s plan to operate schools in the era of COVID-19 was created to safeguard student health and safety while also ensuring all students have access to a high-quality education.
Canyons District continues to monitor the number of COVID-19 cases at your child’s school and surrounding neighborhoods. Please be aware that the Salt Lake County Health Department is reporting an increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases associated with Sprucewood Elementary.
Parents can see the most recent case counts at every CSD school and ZIP code in Canyons District at canyonsdistrict.org.
As a result of the rise in cases at Sprucewood Elementary, Canyons District is sending this alert to ask for continued vigilance to health and wellness protocols both at and away from school. Until positive case counts decrease at Sprucewood Elementary, masks will be strongly encouraged at school, students who are ill should stay at home, and parents are asked to get their children tested and examined by a medical professional if their student has such COVID-19 symptoms as cough, fever, or difficulty breathing.
As an additional precautionary measure, starting tomorrow, Canyons District will redouble cleaning efforts at the school. Great care will be made to thoroughly sanitize tables, desks, and other spaces frequented by students during the day. Physical distancing will be done where feasible, and seating charts will be strictly followed.
Canyons District also is committed to following all applicable COVID-19-related laws and health orders. While state law eliminated CSD’s ability to enforce a mask mandate, it does provide for a testing process if case counts reach a certain threshold. If a school with fewer than 1,500 students, such as Sprucewood Elementary, reaches at least 30 positive cases, then the school will hold a “Test to Stay” event. In this detection and prevention effort, students are given rapid-antigen tests at the school during school hours. No student, however, will be tested without parent permission.
This process identifies those who are asymptomatic spreaders of COVID-19 and removes them from the environment, thereby reducing the risk of school-based exposures. After a school conducts a Test to Stay event, the school’s COVID-19 case counts will reset to zero 10 days after the testing commences. More information about a Test to Stay at our school would be provided to parents if the positive case count reaches the threshold as identified in state law.
In addition, students may worry about how COVID-19 may impact them, their family, and friends. Parents and guardians can help children navigate this experience in an honest and accurate way to help minimize anxiety or fear. Please see the suggestions from the CDC to assist with these conversations.
We recognize there may be questions or concerns. Please direct questions by email to communications@canyonsdistrict.org. Parents also can call the school or the District Office at 801-826-5000. We thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation as we address this public-health challenge together.
