SANDY, Utah — Canyons School District announced Wednesday plans to bring back 'Remote-Learning Fridays' in order to support teachers as staffing shortages and student absences continue.
In the coming months, six Fridays have been approved for student remote learning and teacher preparation days.
The first "Remote-Learning Friday" will be on November 5. Officials hope this gives families time to adjust their schedules for the change.
A release by the school district outlined what the remote learning days will look like for students and teachers. "Students are expected to use the time for independent study and will be provided learning packets or access to assignments on CSD’s common online-learning management system, Canvas," the release states. "Teachers will report to school for work and use the time to collaborate with peers, create lesson and intervention plans, and provide any needed outreach to students. They will also hold office hours by appointment for students and parents."
Officials with the district state that similar to last school year with the pandemic, teachers are reporting increased rates of exhaustion, stress and burnout due to staffing shortages and student absences.
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Illness and COVID-19 related quarantine has forced many students to miss class, which has resulted in teachers having to put extra time into keeping students on track with their learning.
“The goal here is to support teachers in supporting students. Teachers need more planning and collaboration time to ensure students have the resources they need to excel, and students need more time to catch up on unfinished learning,” said Canyons Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bob Dowdle in a press release.
A set schedule for the five other approve remote-learning Fridays has not been released yet. However, FOX 13 has confirmed with the district that there will be one remote-learning Friday every month until April of 2022.
"The Canyons Board of Education will consider at an upcoming meeting the proposed schedule for future remote-learning Fridays," the release from the district states. "As soon as the schedule is finalized, families will be directly notified through the District’s official communication channels."
To learn more about the announcement, click here.
