November 2021 – Park City School District Newsroom

For additional information contact Lorie Pearce, Executive Assistant to the BOE/Supt at lpearce@pcschools.us

News from PCSD-BOE

by Erin Grady, President – Board of Education

At the November 2021 Board of Education Meeting, President Grady opened the meeting with a statement on the PPES mask mandate, assured the public that the BOE and administrators have walked through each school in order to ensure schools are prepared for the mask mandate if tripped by case increases (elementary through middle school/junior high), and that there will not be another public comment on this matter as it is under investigation.

PCEA made a shared a report on the handling of the concerns related to the mandate and acknowledged the safe and supportive school year that is underway.

We heard an update on Academics where Dr. Hunt provided a special message of thanks for our Educational Support Personnel this month and highlighted the new Science curriculum. Mr. Tanner, our COO, updated us on the work of the Safety/Security Committee that will meet tomorrow, open positions and hiring, master planning, as well as the capital budget development for FY23. Dr. Gildea shared 5 H’s that we see throughout PCSD.

Mr. Hauber provided an overview of the school enrollment data, and the district’s schools are identified as “Closed” for the 22/23 school year based facility utilization. Open Enrollment paperwork will be available 12/1/2021 for those interested in applying for any positions that are available within a grade level. For those students already enrolled, they will move forward with their cohort.

Dr. Sorenson shared information related to the updated Teacher Evaluation policy, and the Board of Education appreciates the committee that has worked across a couple of years to bring forward an aligned plan to the Instructional Framework. Great teamwork!

As a Board Team, we’re reviewing policies that are up for 5-year or legal reference updates, and Dr. Sorenson will be working with educators and staff on any substantive changes or updates that may be needed.

#GoMiners!

Board of Education Statement

To the Community:

We would like to reiterate that several of our schools are currently implementing the mask mandate issued by the Summit County Health Department. Communication from the Board and District will continue with all relevant and important communications posted on the District newsroom web page. Each school homepage lists out the current number of COVID cases at the school as well as if the mask mandate has been triggered.

We continue to encourage our families to cooperate with the enforcement of the mask mandate and please don’t hesitate to reach out to your school administrator with any questions.

As always we are here to represent our constituents and will respond to questions and concerns via our PCSD email. If you would like to communicate with the District directly please email us at communication@pcschools.us.

Please accept all of our best wishes for a Happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

Park City Board of Education

Board of Education Letter

November 15, 2021

To the community,

For the past two years, the Park City School District has focused and prioritized the safety and health of the students and staff while also keeping our schools open for in-person learning. We have spent countless hours adjusting to ever-changing guidance and laws on the local, state and national level with regards to the COVID19 Pandemic.

The Summit County Health Department conducted four separate compliance site visits at Parley’s Park starting last Monday, November 8th at 10 am in light of the County’s Public Health Order. Every walk-through has shown that Parley’s Park has been in compliance with the mask mandate issued in accordance with the Order. We have included a report from SCHD for your review. Report can be viewed here.

After continued evaluation, Parley’s Park Elementary School staff, administration, and students have been found to be in compliance with all protocols outlined in the Public Health Order 2021-02.

Additional inspections will be conducted at the discretion of the Summit County Health Department.

The conclusion is that “PPES has taken necessary measures with staff, students, parents/guardians, visitors and the physical environment to ensure compliance with the Public Health Order.”

We are actively preparing each of our school sites that fall under the Public Health Order to ensure compliance if a mandate is to be triggered. Those school sites include McPolin, Jeremy Ranch Elementary, Ecker Hill Middle School and Treasure Mountain Junior High School. Parley’s Park remains in a mask mandate until further notice. Trailside Elementary School has initiated its first mask mandate November 15, 2021.

We want to thank the community for continuing to partner with us to ensure our children stay safe, healthy and in school especially as we enter the winter months.

Erin, Wendy, Anne, Kara, Andrew

District Statement Mask Mandate

For additional information, contact: Lorie Pearce, Executive Assistant to BOE/Supt at lpearce@pcschools.us

November 7, 2021

Park City School District and our individual schools all work in support of our students and families in providing academic, social, emotional, and behavioral support. Parents are our children’s primary educators and the primary decision makers in the care of their children. This was emphasized by the Utah legislature when it prohibited schools and school districts from independently implementing mask mandates after the end of the 2020-21 school year. Rather, the legislature clarified that school mask mandates should be enacted at the local health department level, and subject to the approval of county officials, not school officials.

On September 23, 2021, Summit County officials approved a narrowly tailored Public Health Order (Order of Constraint) addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Summit County schools. That Order of Constraint set a 2% caseload over a 14-day period to identify the threshold trigger when masks are required in the school setting for an individual campus. (https://www.summitcounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/17028/092321-Order-of-Constraint-2021-02-Face-Coverings-in-Middle-Schools)

Throughout the pandemic, Park City School District has worked hand-in-hand with the Summit County Health Department to monitor case counts in our schools. As case counts at Parley’s Park Elementary School approached the 2% threshold trigger at the end of October, our PPES communication to families prepared them for, and then affirmed, implementation of a mask mandate from November 1-14, 2021.

• On Friday, October 29, 2021, the PPES principal sent a message to families alerting them that positive cases of COVID-19 had been increasing at the site and that families would be notified in the event a mask mandate would be put into effect.

• On Sunday, October 31, 2021, PPES reached the 2% threshold of positive COVID-19 cases (14), as confirmed by SCHD and verified by the Utah Department of Health definition of a positive case, thereby triggering the Order of Constraint.

• Communication was sent to all PPES families that a mask mandate would be put into place at the school from November 1 – November 14, 2021.

PCSD recognizes the County’s Order of Constraint as a valid, legally binding public health order and mask mandate for all PCSD employees and students at Parley’s Park Elementary School. It is the expectation of PCSD that all students and staff will comply with that mandate, subject to those exemptions set forth within the Order itself. Understanding that there may be allowable exemptions is where the terminology “parental choice” originated in my conversation with our PPES school principal and it was my error to not slow down and clearly state “understanding that there are allowable exemptions in each of our school sites.”

On November 14, 2021, the case counts for the previous 14 days will be reviewed by the SCHD/UDOH. If the school is under threshold counts, the mask mandate is concluded. In the event the school has had high case counts, the mandate may be extended another 14 days by the SCHD.

In the event that a school site hits 30 positive cases in a 14-day period, that triggers a Test-To- Stay event in order to further contain and mitigate the spread of contagious illness.

How Will the Mask Mandate Be Implemented at PPES?

To mitigate continued spread of COVID-19 in our schools, it is important to adhere to the County’s mask mandate. Just like we did last year when school mask mandates were in effect, Parley’s Park Elementary School will remind its students and staff to put on and wear their required face mask appropriately if they are found to not be wearing it. If additional reminders are required, or if a student is repeatedly not complying or adhering to teacher direction, there may be escalating consequences including school discipline. While violation of an Order of Constraint is a misdemeanor criminal offense, the Order itself states that it is intended to protect public health and not to hold individuals criminally liable. While PCSD does not intend to initiate criminal referrals, Summit County may inspect our schools at any time and does have the authority and discretion to cite and prosecute individuals who violate the Order. The County’s Order of Constraint may be enforced in any of the following ways in our schools:

• Inform families about the Order and its requirements.

• Model appropriate face coverings within the school setting – including extracurriculars.

• Remind students that they must wear a face covering to be in compliance with the Order.

• Ensure that face coverings are available for anyone who might have forgotten to bring one.

• Redirect a student seat assignment if they are non-compliant with the face covering mandate.

• Remind students to wear their face covering.

• Contact parent/school administration if a student is not adhering to teacher direction.

• Possible referral to in-school suspension room to facilitate continued access to in-person learning.

• Contact parent to pick up student from school (as with other disruptive behaviors we prefer NOT to remove a student from a learning environment if at all possible due to the importance of access to education).

What is not permitted in connection with the mask mandate?

• Physically placing a face covering on a student.

• Issuing a disciplinary consequence for students or staff with a mask exemption.

• Teasing, taunting, bullying, harassment, or other abusive conduct over wearing or not wearing a face covering – the Order of Constraint contains valid exemptions, which must be respected.

Obtaining the voluntary compliance of our students and employees with the Order of Constraint is the most effective manner for the school to enforce this important effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

As a school district, we will proactively hit the reset button to ensure important information is conveyed, review all COVID-19 mitigation protocols with all staff, and facilitate effective implementation of the Order of Constraint as an additional layer of mitigation in support of our students, staff, and families.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jill Gildea

Superintendent of Schools

Park City School District