Following the announcement on Friday that the vaccinating of K-12 staff and teachers will begin on Monday, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams issued a statement urging Salt Lake City School District Schools to open immediately.
Adams wrote that teachers have done an amazing job with the resources they have been given, but that students should have the option to return to the classroom. Not only for the sake of education, but for the other benefits of school, such as meals, socialization, and a safe place to be while parents are at work.
Salt Lake City is the only district in the state that has not returned to in-person learning since the pandemic began. Earlier this week, district officials announced a plan for in-person learning for 7-12 grade students to resume once all teachers and staff who wanted a vaccine had received them, likely in February depending on the roll-out schedule. The current plan is for elementary school students to go back to school at the end of this month.