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Category: High School Action Required

Published on

Date:
January 15, 2026

To:
All School Principals

From:
Mike Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Lisa LeStarge, Administrative Assistant

Subject:
LAND Trust and TSSA Plans Available for Entry

The School LAND Trust program Final Report for 2024-2025

is now available for entry on the State website. Reports must be submitted on the School LAND Trust reporting site no later than Friday, February 13, 2026.

Final Report expenditures will not be entered by the principal, but will be displayed and space will be available for principals to enter an explanation for those expenditures.

The 2026-2027 Upcoming Land Trust Plan can be submitted after the final report is completed, submitted, and finalized by the District Office. The due date for submitting 2026-2027 Land Trust and TSSA plans is March 20, 2026. This allows sufficient time for plans to be approved by the Board prior to receiving funds for the 2026-27 school year.

TSSA Plan and Folder LINKS: 2026-2027 School TSSA Plans.

Published on

DATE: 
January 12, 2026

TO:  
Principals
Special Education Teachers (Resource & Cluster)

FROM: 
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT: 
Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Training

Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) is the alternative assessment required for students who are participating in the Essential Elements curriculum. It is a requirement that all new teachers in our district who will be administering this assessment need to be trained. This training will be held on Friday, January 23, 2026, from 7:30 to 10:30 am via Zoom. Please sign up through Canvas. https://pd.jordan.com DLM Training for New Teachers.

Rosters from the Canvas course will be used for Elementary teachers to cover any hours outside of their contract. If attendees need class coverage, they should make arrangements with their school team (e.g., use paraeducators).

Please direct any questions or concerns to Jen Birrell for Elementary Teachers and Lucia Evans for Secondary Teachers.

Jen Birrell: 801-567-8905 or jennifer.birrell@jordandistrict.org
Lucia Evans: 801-567-8295 or lucie.evans@jordandistrict.org

Published on

DATE:
January 12, 2026

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Ed.D., Special Education Administrator

SUBJECT:
Professional Development Opportunities for Special Education Teams on De-escalating and ESIs.

The Special Education Department is pleased to announce upcoming training sessions for school-based teams. Content for this training mirrors the training delivered during the January 2026 Principal’s meeting, adapted for team-wide participation. To foster maximum collaboration, we strongly encourage entire teams—including Licensed Special Education Teachers, School Psychologists, and Instructional Assistants—to attend the session together. Principals are welcome to join with their team.

Please note that part-time Instructional Assistants will be compensated for their participation through a JSD Timesheet.

We invite teams to select their preferred training date by completing the specific form below. Because space is limited for each session, we recommend early submission to ensure your first choice.

● March 6, 2026,
○ 1 pm-3 pm
○ ASB Presentation Room (7905 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, Entrance "C")
○ See attached memo for link to Registration Form

● April 17, 2026,
○ 1 pm-3 pm
○ ASB Auditorium (7905 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, Entrance "A")
○ See attached memo for link to Registration Form

Attendance is optional.

Published on

DATE:
January 5, 2026

TO:
Principals
Special Education Teachers (Resource & Cluster)

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT:
Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Testing Checklist

Attached is the DLM checklist for all special education teachers who will be administering the DLM assessment to any of their students during the 2025-26 school year. You are required to complete and return the checklist to Jen Birrell for all Elementary teachers and Lucia Evans for all Secondary teachers at the District Office by Thursday, March 5, 2026. This form is also available online at specialed.jordandistrict.org/staff/forms on the Special Education website.

Please direct any questions or concerns to Jen Birrell for Elementary Teachers and Lucia Evans for Secondary Teachers.

Jen Birrell: 801-567-8905 or jennifer.birrell@jordandistrict.org
Lucia Evans: 801-567-8295 or lucia.evans@jordandistrict.org

Published on

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Mike Haynes, Director of Education Foundation

Outstanding Educator Nominations are OPEN. We are excited to recognize an outstanding teacher at your school. Submissions are due by midnight January 20, 2026. The application and additional details can be found on the JEF Website.

If you have questions, contact Carla at extension 88125

Published on

DATE:
January 8, 2026

TO: 
District Employees Who Qualify for Mileage Reimbursement

FROM: 
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting

SUBJECT:
Defensive Driving Course Requirement for Mileage Reimbursement

Our insurance carrier, State Risk Management, has asked that every person who receives mileage reimbursement take the Utah Defensive Driving Course. We ask that you complete this free course as soon as possible using the instructions attached to this memo.

A new District Mileage Reimbursement form can be found at this link https://jordandistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/083_MileageReport.xlsx This new form has a box under the title for the individual to enter the completion date of the course. Please note that beginning in January 2026, Accounting will only reimburse mileage that includes the completion date of the Risk Management Defensive Driving Course. The course must be completed every two years. Supervisors approving mileage reimbursement – please remind your employees to complete this course and enter the date at the top of their mileage reimbursement form to avoid delays in reimbursement in January 2026.

The link below provides access to the course in the Utah Learning Portal. Your username is your district email. Click “Sign Up” and fill out the required information. Note that the security key word is Jordan and you may create your own password.

Utah Learning Portal

Once you have passed the course, record the completion date on your mileage reimbursement form and print the certificate. You may use the print option at the top of the final page of the online assessment or print your certificate from the attachment that will be emailed to you. Retain the certificate at your location for audit purposes.

If you have questions regarding the mileage reimbursement form, please contact Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits at 801.567.8389. If you have questions about the Risk Management Defensive Driving Course, please contact Brandon Conti, Risk Management Coordinator at 801.567.8876.

Published on

DATE:
December 15, 2025

TO:
Elementary School Principals
Secondary School Principals

From:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Digital Administrator of Teaching & Learning

SUBJECT: LanSchool Classroom Management Software Extension

In cooperation with the JSD Purchasing Department, Teaching and Learning has procured an extension for LanSchool classroom management software for all current subscribers through the end of the school year. No new schools are permitted to purchase LanSchool software during this school year, but all currently subscribing schools will be able to extend their current LanSchool contracts through June 30, 2025. Please reach out to Tonya Hodges in Purchasing for more information about extending your current LanSchool contract.

Teaching and Learning will be conducting a new RFP (Request for Proposal) in Spring 2026 to allow all classroom management software vendors to participate in the process for selecting a district-wide solution. This is necessary to ensure that classroom management software works both in classrooms and computer labs. Once the RFP process concludes we plan to have a solution that will work on all computers throughout the schools.

Published on

TO:
DLI School Administrators
Administrative Assistants
Registrars

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Kaye Rizzuto, DLI Consultant in Teaching and Learning

The following guidelines will assist schools in identifying where DLI students should be placed when moving between levels within a feeder.

DLI students will generally attend school through the feeder where they began the program. As long as the student remains in the DLI program, a seat will be available for them at each level through high school. This means that a middle school or high school may receive a DLI student who may not live in their boundaries.

- Students in DLI who are out-of-boundary should be granted a permit manually in Skyward using the “D” reason code.

- Please do NOT use PowerSchool for DLI out-of-boundary permits, otherwise students must legally be allowed to remain at the school through the last grade offered even if they choose to end their participation in the DLI program.

- Every year by January, a “sending” DLI school should prepare a list of DLI students who are planning to continue in the program at the next level. This list should specifically identify the students who do not live in the boundaries of the “receiving” school but who qualify to attend because of their participation in the DLI program. This will allow the “receiving” school time to pre-enroll these students in Skyward by the end of January and have these students counted in their yearly 2.0 FTE allocation. An administrative assistant or registrar should review and send this list to the “receiving” school for enrollment.

Additional Considerations:
- If a student begins a program in one pathway and later becomes a boundary student of a school in a different DLI pathway for the same language, they may enroll at their new boundary school and join the pathway for that school; however, doing so will forfeit any seat or claim on the previous DLI pathway.

- If a student begins a program in one pathway and later wishes to move to a school in a different DLI pathway for the same language but has not moved into the boundaries for the school they wish to attend, they may do so only if A) space is available in that school’s DLI program, AND B) an out-of-boundary permit seat (in Skyward) is available and can be granted to that student. In this instance, established out-of-boundary permit priorities and waitlist orders must still be followed.

Published on

DATE:      
Thursday, December 4, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

FROM:   
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:  
Proficiency Scale Survey

We have appreciated the many educators who have engaged with the Proficiency Scale Survey in order to provide feedback about the district’s ELA, math, science and social studies exemplar power standards and proficiency scales.

We want to be sure that every teacher has a voice in the development of these exemplar power standards and proficiency scales. The survey administration window has been extended to Friday, December 19th. Thus, principals are encouraged to provide designated time during contract time for teachers to take the survey.

Teachers may access the survey at this LINK

Questions about the survey instrument may be direct to Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability. Questions about the power standards and proficiency scales may be directed to Carolyn Gough in Teaching & Learning.

Published on

DATE:   
November 20, 2025

TO:   
All District Administrators

FROM:   
Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT: 
November 2025: Compliance with Utah’s Government Data Privacy Act

Utah’s Government Data Privacy Act (or GDPA, found in code at §63A-19) sets standards for the use and protection of employee and patron data collected and used by a governmental entity. The standards of the GDPA build on, but do not replace, existing protections for student data as found in state law (§53E-9) and federal law (FERPA and PPRA).

The GDPA requires the implementation of a privacy program across each governmental entity, with deadlines as soon as December 31, 2025. Jordan District will establish a committee to create and implement this privacy program. The committee will be under the direction of Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant in Student Services.

ACTION REQUIRED: The GDPA requires that all employees who "have access to personal data was part of the employee's work duties; or supervise an employee who has access to personal data” receive an annual training. In future years, this training will be included as part of Crucial Concerns; however, for this year’s compliance, each school and department will need to view the eight-minute training video prepared by the state Office of Data Privacy, which is linked below, prior to winter break and report both A) completion of this requirement, and B) the number of employees who viewed the training on the spreadsheet also linked below.

A scheduled group viewing in an upcoming faculty or department meeting is likely the easiest way to complete this requirement.

The GDPA defines “personal data” as “information that is linked or can be reasonably linked to an identified individual or an identifiable individual” (§63A-19-101-24). Not every employee in a location will need to watch the video - many hourly employees in departments like Nutrition Services, Auxiliary Services, or site-based hourly custodial employees likely do not have access to “personal data” and can be excused from viewing at this time. Supervisors with questions may contact Caleb Olson (caleb.olson@jordandistrict.org or x88251).

Your cooperation with this requirement of the GDPA and with monitoring the JAM for future privacy program-related requirements and responsibilities is greatly appreciated.

Published on

DATE:    
November 18, 2025

TO:    
Principals
Assistant Principals
School Safety Specialists

FROM:    
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator

SUBJECT: 
Monthly Drill Preparation (HOLD)

Our monthly drill preparation will now include an additional time slot to accommodate more schedules. The next one will be held on December 3rd at 2:40 PM, 3:10 PM, and again at 3:40 PM. Each session will last about 20 minutes.

This month we will be covering HOLD. Each School Safety Specialist is expected to attend along with administrators assigned to oversee school safety. All other administrations are welcomed to attend as well. The meeting is also opened to any staff who may be interested.

After each monthly training all school staff should be trained by the administrator over school safety and the School Safety Specialist. After being trained each month, teachers should educate their students on each safety drill. Additionally, schools should communicate with their patrons regarding Standard Response Protocol(s) (SRP) and the drill being conducted each month. Videos, handouts, and other resources can be found at the link(s) below.

Information regarding the HOLD response protocol can be found in the Jordan School District Safety Manual on pages 5-7. We will discuss how to implement and execute the drill. This will be an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas amongst the schools.

We will be holding this meeting over Zoom so please join using this link.

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, November 20, 2025

TO:   
All School Administrators

FROM:   
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

SUBJECT:   
WIDA ACCESS 2.0 Test Administration Training and Preparation for Schools

School administrators are asked to pass this information on to anyone who will be proctoring or coordinating the WIDA Access testing in your school this year.

As part of a federal requirement and the state’s accountability system, districts are required to administer the WIDA Access 2.0 annually to all ML students who have earned a Language Proficiency Level (LPL) of less than 4.2 and a Speaking score of less than 3.5. The 2025-26 WIDA test administration window begins on January 6 and ends on March 6, 2026.

See the memo below for all the details.

Published on

DATE:
November 12, 2025

TO:
Administrators of Locations with Employees Paid with Federal Dollars

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting
Natalie Grange, Accounting Administrator

SUBJECT:
Federal Program Work Certification

Federal Regulations require the district to certify the payroll of any employee being paid with federal funds. Accounting identifies employees that meet this federal criteria and prepares certification forms by location. Principals and department heads please review the attached instruction memo and look for your payroll certification email the week of November 10, 2025. Certifications are due Friday, December 12, 2025.

Please review your certification ASAP and contact Natalie Grange if you have any questions or concerns. natalie.grange@jordandistrict.org, ext. 88312

Published on

DATE:  
November 10, 2025

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Registrars
Secondary Attendance Secretaries

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Scott Festin, Planning Consultant

SUBJECT:  
School Choice Permit Allocations and Procedures

The open enrollment permit window opens on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Permit seat totals can be found on each school’s Enrollment Dashboard in Google Drive. Open the “2026-27” tab and scroll down to the permit section.

ACTION REQUIRED: Principals should review the individuals listed on their school’s dashboard in the “Permit” section and ensure that permissions are marked appropriately. Planning & Enrollment will defer to the permissions marked for various staff members when requests for additional seats are made. Please ensure that staff information is updated by December 5, 2025.

Schools should verify all outstanding applications prior to leaving for Winter Recess and verify any applications received during Winter Recess as soon as possible in the morning on Monday, January 5, 2026, so that the lottery can be run that afternoon. Once the lottery has been run, schools may immediately begin offering seats (if available). Seats not accepted within two weeks should be revoked (after attempting communication with the parent) and reoffered to the next student in line on the waitlist. At least weekly, schools should verify applications in the 2026-27 school year workspace and prepare them to be processed and moved to the waitlist. Schools should regularly continue to verify applications in the 2025-26 school year workspace and prepare them to be processed and moved to the waitlist.

During the early enrollment window (November 15, 2025 through February 6, 2026), the availability of permit seats is governed by BUILDING CAPACITY. Schools that are the most full will have the least available seats. Adding seats is governed by rules of the tier system established by the Board of Education and, in all instances, requires conversation with your Administrator of Schools. In the late enrollment window (after February 6 and 2026-27 FTE allocations are released), schools may request additional seats from their Administrator of Schools. Available seats in this window are determined by the availability of space and by grade in the teacher allocation based on current enrollment figures.

One final reminder: the early enrollment window (November 15, 2025 through February 6, 2026) requires schools to seat students if permit seats are available. Schools MUST follow the waitlist order when offering seats. It is inappropriate for a school to modify the waitlist order so that students who listed the school as a “first choice” are placed before others, regardless of their lottery priority. Schools who follow this practice may lose the ability to seat permit applications themselves. School administrators with concerns over this guideline may contact their Administrator of Schools.

Published on

DATE:    
Thursday, November 5, 2025

TO:    
K-12 Principals

FROM:    
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Nathan Foster, Health/PE Specialist, Teaching & Learning

SUBJECT:   
Required Firearm Safety Instruction – Implementation for 2025-26

During the 2025 legislative session, Utah passed HB104, which requires firearm safety instruction to be provided three times in K-6, once in middle school, and once in high school. Jordan School District will meet this requirement by providing firearm safety instruction in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades, Health I, and Health II, aligned with Health Education standards.

Instruction may be delivered through live lessons, videos, online materials, or as part of health or physical education curricula. Before instruction, schools must notify parents or guardians and offer an opt-out option, with alternative educational activities provided as needed.

For details, resources, and curriculum materials to support this requirement, please review the attached HB 104 Implementation Document and visit the linked resources.

Please reach out to our JSD Health and PE Teacher Specialist, Nathan Foster, with any questions: nate.foster@jordandistrict.org.

HB104 - Parent Information Sheet - Opt Out Form

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent

Principals, please personally invite your School Community Council chair to attend this important meeting with the Jordan District Board Members.

Dear School Community Council Chair,

On behalf of the Jordan School District Board of Education, we invite you to the upcoming Jordan Parent Advisory Committee (JPAC) meeting. Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025 Time: 6:30–8:00 pm Location: Jordan Learning Center, 3706 W. 9800 S., South Jordan. (The Learning Center is located directly across the street from Elk Ridge Middle School.)

This important meeting will focus on two topics:

School Safety Update: Our School Safety Specialist, Matt Alvernaz, will present the latest updates on current safety protocols and be available to answer any questions.

ParentSquare Feedback: As time permits, we will gather your feedback on how it is working for parents.

Your insights and participation are very important to us. If you are unable to attend, please ensure another parent representative from your School Community Council attends in your place.

We look forward to a productive meeting and to seeing you there!

 

Published on

TO:
All Licensed Administrators

FROM:
Cabinet

All licensed administrators are invited to complete this form by November 14, 2025. This formal process of gaining your input will serve as a conversation starter with your Administrator of Schools about work assignments for the coming school year (2026-27) in Jordan District. Personal preference is one of many factors considered when determining administrative assignments. This does not take the place of the need to sign up for a formal Principal interview.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
All Admin Assistants

FROM:
Jordan District Cabinet Members

We are excited to announce and provide a method for employees to pay their school meal balances remotely without going to the front office. Please see the attached instructions on how to set this up. Employees can also set up recurring payments and low balance notifications similar to parents.

Additionally, we want to remind employees that they should avoid having a negative balance on their meal account. Employees may not have a negative balance greater than $10.00.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, October 16, 2025

TO:   
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:  
2025-26 Stakeholder Input Survey Preview and Administration Materials

Jordan School District will be administering its own student, parent, and faculty/staff stakeholder input survey this year. The student survey will be administered to all students in grades K-12. The survey window opens Monday, November 3, 2025, and closes Tuesday, November 25, 2025. Administrative assistants were asked to verify a list of licensed educators at their school location, which was due on Friday, September 10th. Those verified and updated lists have now been added to the Stakeholder Input Survey. If schools have hired licensed faculty since October 10, 2025, please contact Assessment, Research & Accountability as soon as possible so that we can update your school’s surveys before the survey window opens. We will not be able to update the surveys once they go live.

See the memo below for all the details.