All Alta High students will engage in online learning until after the Thanksgiving Recess in response to rising COVID-19 cases associated with the school as well as a sustained bump in positive rates in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus. 

The pause in on-campus learning was announced on Thursday, Nov. 12. Parents received the notification in emails and text messages. Alta’s faculty and staff, who were informed earlier in the day, will spend Friday, Nov. 13 preparing to begin teaching virtual classes for the next two weeks.

The online instruction for all Alta High students will begin Monday, Nov. 16. It is hoped the school will return to on-campus learning on Monday, Nov. 30.

Additional information about online learning expectations via Canvas, CSD’s online common-learning management tool, will be forthcoming from the school and individual teachers. 

The decision to return to online learning for all Hawks was made following a meeting with authorities from the Salt Lake County Health Department. Both the numbers of COVID-19 among students, faculty and staff and the rising rates in the community were major factors in the decision.

Students at Alta High who are taking classes at the Canyons Technical Education Center may continue attending the CTEC classes in-person. While transportation will not be provided from homes during the online-learning period, a bus to CTEC from Alta High will continue to run on its regular schedule. CTEC students also may ride the bus back to Alta High. 

Guidelines established by the Canyons Board of Education call for extra mitigation efforts, including a possible temporary schedule shift, if a school reaches a certain threshold of positive COVID-19 cases within a two-week period.

When a CSD traditional high school reaches a 1 percent rate within a two-week period, the CSD Administration will immediately begin discussions with health authorities about possible actions. If a CSD traditional high school reaches a 2 percent rate, it immediately pivots to an online learning schedule. The high school has reached nearly a 2 percent threshold, according to recent data.

The District’s data dashboard, which can be accessed on the Canyons District website, provides information to the community about COVID-19 cases at each school, as well as the number of students, faculty, and staff who are on quarantine because of possible exposures. 

Throughout the online-learning period, Alta students can obtain nutritious breakfast and lunch meals at one of Canyons District’s “open lunch” sites. At these locations, any child 18 years of age or under can pick up a free sack lunch and cold breakfast to enjoy the following day. Parents can pick up sack meals at any of the following curbside locations without having their children present. Pick-up times vary and are determined by each school.

• Butler Middle,  7530 S. 2700 East, Cottonwood Heights
• Midvale Middle, 7852 Pioneer Rd., Midvale
• Draper Park Middle, 13133 S. 1300 East 

Alta High students may also receive a meal from any Canyons District school in which a sibling is enrolled. Schools ask, however, that meals are preordered so that the kitchens know how much food to prepare. Emails requesting the meals can be sent to the school’s cafeteria manager.  Contact information for the cafeteria manager can be found on the website of the school where the meal would be provided.  

Extracurricular activities for Alta High students have been halted under the executive order by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert. Canyons continues to ask the community to adhere to COVID-19-related safety precautions. Those include wearing a mask in public, washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, and observing physical distancing recommendations.

Questions?  Please direct questions by email to communications@canyonsdistrict.org. Parents also can call the school or the District Office at 801-826-5000 during work hours.