In a letter send out on Aug. 3, the Sevier School District shared that they have received guidelines from state and local health officials regarding COVID-19 protocols.  They then shared a summary of how those guidelines will affect the Sevier School District specifically.

Those protocols are broken down into eight categories: sanitation and hygiene, COVID-19 vaccination, face masks, COVID-19 testing, feel sick stay home, quarantine, remote learning and COVID-19 case counts.

Things mentioned include face masks not being mandatory, COVID-19 vaccination and testing not being required, asking sick individuals to stay home, remote learning, the School district sharing that they will be posting case count numbers on their website and more.

Listed below is more detailed information on the protocols as outlined in the letter from the district:

• Sanitation and Hygiene: Schools will continue to implement best practices with cleaning, physical distancing and other actions designed to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
• COVID-19 Vaccination: Vaccination is not a requirement to enroll in school or join an extracurricular team. Parents should talk to their health care provider when making decisions about vaccinating eligible students (currently those 12 and older). Please know that most health officials encourage vaccinations to help prevent COVID-19.
• Face Masks: Face masks are not mandatory. House Bill 1007 states that face coverings will not be required after the end of the 2020-21 school year. Families will need to make individual decisions about when and where to have students wear face masks. Please know that most health officials encourage wearing face masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• COVID-19 Testing: Testing will not be required in most circumstances, including for extracurricular activities. According to state law, testing will only be required if a school has more than 30 positive COVID-19 cases. If this happens, students must be tested to remain at the school for their learning and extracurricular activities “test-to-stay” unless they have been immunized or have had a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the previous 90 days.
• Feel Sick, Stay Home: Students have always been encouraged to stay home when sick. Any students with COVID-like symptoms should stay home from school. Having symptomatic individuals stay home will significantly reduce the possibility of having to implement “test-to-stay.” Additionally, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will not be permitted at school or any school activities during their isolation period.
• Quarantine: Quarantine decisions will be made by they Health Department in consultation with school officials and parents. Parents/guardians will be notified if their student was potentially exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The notice will recommend that the exposed student remain at home for up to 10 days or 7 days with a negative COVID-19 test, unless they:
  • are fully immunized, or
  • have had a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 90 days, or
  • choose to wear a face mask at school during the quarantine period.
• Remote Learning: Students who are exposed to COVID-19 and choose to remain at home during their quarantine period will be moved to “Remote Learning,” under the direction of their regular classroom teacher(s), for up to 10 days or 7 days with a negative COVID-19 test. Students who test positive for COVID-19 will also be moved to “Remote Learning.” Periods of remote learning are for brief interruptions due to COVID-19 and are not intended to be longer than 10 days.
• COVID-19 Case Counts: Sevier School District will post COVID-19 case count numbers on their website regularly during the week so that parents have information for their child’s school.

Current state guidelines can be found at coronavirus.utah.gov/education and for the most up to date guidelines for the Sevier School District you can visit seviersd.org.