Sept. 22, 2020 Board Meeting Summary

Celebrating Oquirrh Hills Middle School
Rylee Sanchez, 9th grade Student Body President, said Oquirrh Hills Middle is a great school that is very welcoming with a great environment and strong sense of community. She told Board members that students at Oquirrh Hills excel in extracurricular activities including theme weeks like Hello Week, Spirit Week, Diversity Week and HOPE Week which add to a sense of school spirit and community. Rylee talked about the school’s tardy policy which is working to get students in class and on time along with a strict cell phone policy to keep students from being distracted in the classroom. She concluded by saying students love Oquirrh Middle teachers, the school and community.

Recognitions
Tracy Miller was recognized as the 2020 recipient of the Utah PTA Friend of Children Award, the highest honor given by Utah PTA each year.

Special Business Items
The Board approved the following: Revisions to Administrative Policy AA432 Student Attendance and Teacher Disclosure, New Administrative Policy DE506 Private and Home School Participation in Public School Statewide Achievement Tests.

Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent of Schools, reported on the important work being done at Southpointe Adult High School in JSD. He said under Luann Leavitt’s leadership, wonderful things are happening at the school for non-traditional learners. Superintendent Godfrey said Ms. Leavitt has reshaped the school’s programs to help more people and touch more lives.

Luann Leavitt, Southpointe Adult High Administrator, gave an overview of the school which provides a personalized educational experience to all Utah adult residents with no cap on the age they serve. She said students can earn their high school diploma at any time, they come from all walks of life and currently there are 1,116 people in the program.

Elected Official Comments
Mayor Dawn Ramsey, South Jordan City, thanked the Board and educators for working so hard with a nearly impossible scenario. She applauded them for trying to do the right thing for students, staff and parents. Mayor Ramsey also congratulated Tracy Miller on her PTA Friend of Children Award.

• Patron Comments
• A number of parents expressed concerns over closing schools due to COVID-19 and decisions to quarantine students for 14 days who have been exposed to COVID-19. Some suggested a shorter quarantine would be better for students, especially those who struggle with online learning. Several parents said students are being quarantined unfairly with some students being asked to quarantine multiple times. One parent asked that COVID-19 case numbers in each school be made available.
• Vicki Olsen, former JEA President, thanked board members for their friendship over the years and for their willingness to listen on different issues. Ms. Olsen said she knows how much the Board cares.

Closed, Study Session
In closed session, Board members discussed personnel, property, potential litigation, negotiations and security.

In open session, the Board discussed pandemic protocol, a response to the positive COVID-19 cases at Copper Hills High School and received an update on pandemic response. They had a brief discussion on options for funding the new elementary school in Herriman. The Board also reviewed the Licensed Educator Advisory Committee (LEAC), grant applications for educators and an addendum to the JSD Literacy Plan.

– Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications