The “West Way” – West High’s Plan for Reopening

Peter Sawchuk

On February 8th, 2021, West High School welcomed students to West’s first in-person classes in nearly a year. However, a lot has changed since last March. West’s new COVID-19 protocols have fundamentally shifted the format of in-person schooling, enacting new preventative rules and regulations. This COVID-conscious reopening comes after legal pressure and much debate. On January 19th, the Salt Lake City School Board proposed a plan to safely reopen schools. In the “West Way” document, five general guidelines are given to safely holding in-person school at West High: masks, social distancing, time spent in the building, hand washing, and disinfecting throughout the building.

 

Masks must be worn correctly as long as a student is on campus. If you need a mask immediately, go to student services, where you will be supplied with one. Masks may be temporarily removed only in certain instances: either for the consumption of food in a designated eating space or a drink of water. In either case, you are expected to be sitting and put your mask back on as soon as you are done. West has a three-strike policy with masks. The first time you are caught without a mask or wearing one improperly you will be verbally warned, the second time you will attend remote school for two weeks, and finally, if you continue to ignore safety guidelines, you will be sent home for the rest of the year.

 

The “West Way” document concedes that it will not be possible to keep students six feet apart at all times: “We will space students the best we can given our facilities and enrollment. We aim to get maximum distance whenever possible”. Based on data from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (COVID-19 Trends Among Persons Aged 0-24- United States, March 1 – December 12, 2020, CDC; and Incidence and Secondary Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Infections in School, American Academy of Pediatrics) the school board believes in-person school is a safe and viable option. Students will be asked to always walk on the right side of the hall to help distance themselves from others. Given the safety measures in place, it is believed in-person school can be safely held, despite not being able to always enforce complete social distancing.

 

Under the time guideline, it states, “The longer the time frame, the tighter the adherence to CDC guidelines regarding exposure.” For this reason, if you are not attending an in-person class or on a lunch break, you are not allowed to be on campus. Students will also only attend in-person school twice a week (either Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday, determined by last name), and attend virtual classes for the remainder of the week with Wednesday asynchronous.

 

Students are expected to regularly wash and sanitize their hands, and are not allowed to share materials or physical resources with their classmates. Teachers are also expected to not hand out materials with the exceptions of textbooks, texts, and novels. In addition to hand washing, desks and any shared objects are regularly sanitized by students and custodial staff. 

 

West High’s Staff and Faculty is working very hard to ensure a safe experience for any students who opt to learn in-person. All teachers have been vaccinated at least once, and any student who wants to attend must be tested and comply with the aforementioned guidelines. In-person attendance is entirely voluntary. If you need resources to help you learn, such as a laptop or school supplies, you can receive one from the school. Regardless of how you prefer to learn, make sure to be safe and work hard!