AMERICAN FORK, Utah — The Alpine School District has clarified COVID-19 leave policies for staff after a draft was sent out mistakenly to employees saying they had the option to "do nothing" if they are exposed to COVID-19 and but remain symptom free.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that in a memo sent out to staff Wednesday evening, several courses of action were laid out if a staff member is exposed to COVID-19. Quarantining at home for seven to 10 days and wearing a mask are some of the options listed in the guidelines.
The drafted guidelines then say that employees can keep their COVID-19 exposure private, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
“The unwritten last option (if they are symptom-free) is to do nothing because the Health Department has no ability to enforce these guidelines,” the drafted document reads.
The draft goes on to say the district encourages symptom free employees to continue to work as "students are best served by the employee hired to do the job." It also says there is no federal relief money to help pay for staff absences.
In an updated version sent to FOX 13 on Thursday, there is no mention of guidelines staff should abide by if exposed to COVID-19. Instead the document reads, "If an employee is quarantining they are to follow the District sick leave policy. If the employee is not quarantining, they should follow the personal leave policy."
The new version also goes in detail about who is eligible for sick leave and when to use sick leave or personal leave.
"The safety of our employees and our students remains a top priority," the memo continues, "We recognize that our students are best served by our highly-qualified employees, but we encourage those who are sick to stay home."
