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Information regarding summer operating hours for schools and district offices, beginning Monday, June 8, 2020, is listed below. Regular office hours will resume at all locations on August 3, 2020.

Schools:

  • The office should be open 5 days per week, at least 5 hours per day, except holidays.
  • Time when the building is closed for lunch does not count toward the 5 hours.
  • Employees should still work the same number of contract hours.
  • Employees can work from home with permission from their principal or Cabinet supervisor.
  • Face masks, social distancing, and frequent hand washing are encouraged.
  • If the front office staff is not at the school, please place a sign on the school door indicating a telephone number that can be called to reach someone who can unlock the door. If no one is going to be in the building on a particular day, please inform your Administrator of Schools in advance and post a sign on the school door and a notice on the school’s website and social media accounts indicating the next time the office will be open.

Auxiliary Services Building:

  • Staff will be working and the building will be open from 7:30-3:30.

District Office Building:

  • Staff will be working from 8:00-4:30.
  • The building will be accessible starting at 7:30 a.m.

 

Due to the Covid-19 Outbreak, many educators who requested authorization for a background check were unable to get fingerprinted before the expiration date on the form. The form normally expires after 60 days. The Utah State Board of Education has a contingency in place to allow educators to use these authorization forms, regardless of the expiration date. There is no need for the educator to get a new form.

DATE:
June 1, 2020

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Administrator of Schools
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant of Planning and Enrollment
Scott Festin, Consultant of Planning and Enrollment

SUBJECT:
Student Enrollment for May 2020


Please see document below.

Dear Principals:

Instructional Coaching questions are now available as part of the District Approved Interview Questions found on Admin Only under HR Resources - HR Resource Hiring Licensed

When interviewing an instructional coach for your school you may use additional District approved questions as part of the interview.

When hiring, please indicate the questions asked on the interview form using the designated letter and number.

If you have any questions, please call Wyatt Bentley (801)567-8215 or Kim Gibson (801)-567-8216.

https://employment.jordandistrict.org/hr-resource-hiring-licensed/

At the Tuesday May 26th Board of Education meeting, the Board directed a 5% reduction to certain budgets.

These reductions will be applied to school supply, tech supplies, media, postage and textbook budgets and will be implemented for the 2020-21 school year.

This means a total reduction per student for elementary, middle, and high schools of $4.03, $5.50, and $6.38 respectfully. The revised allocations for 2020-21 are as follows:

_______________________Elementary      Middle            High
Supply                              $40.78             $43.26             $50.31

Tech Supplies                 $10.00             $10.00             $10.00

Media                               $9.74               $11.08             $13.90

Library Media                 $1.23               $1.23                $1.23

Postage                           $1.49               $4.46               $10.81

Textbooks                       $13.32             $34.36             $34.85

Please contact your Administrator of Schools with any questions or concerns.

On Tuesday, May 26, the Board approved two calendar adjustments.

  • Blackridge Elementary will move to a traditional calendar for the 2020-21 school year and will remain on a traditional calendar moving forward.
  • South Jordan Elementary will remain on a year-round calendar with a delayed start for the 2020-21 school year. This calendar is attached and is also available on the Planning & Enrollment website (http://planning.org). A decision on the calendar for South Jordan Elementary after the 2020-21 has not yet been made.

Greetings Utah Educators and Leaders!

I hope you are all well and enjoying the fleeting last weeks of the “New Now” school year.  It has been absolutely marvelous to see all of the amazing work that Utah educators are doing to support their students and communities.  Every time I get out of the house for a drive as a break from isolation, I am blissfully berated by beautiful signs, posters, and balloons supporting both students and teachers.  It is a bright spot in my day and makes me smile as I reflect on the monumental work you are all doing.

Last Thursday, the Utah State Board of Education approved five educator licensing rules/amendments; this also makes me smile!  Thanks to feedback from LEAs, educator preparation programs, and educators, we have made some modifications to the pending licensing structure.  I have linked each of the rules’ draft if you want to look at the precise language.  For your convenience in these busy times, I have provided a shortlist of the changes within each rule.

R277-301 – Educator Licensing

  • Communication Disorders license area now called: Audiologist
  • Associate Educator Licenses, License Areas, or Endorsements are valid for THREE years, with a one-year extension available.
  • Currently licensed educators who apply to add an Associate Educator License Area, do not need to complete the Canvas Pedagogical Modules.
  • Applicants with an educator license from out-of-state and at least one year of teaching may waive the content knowledge (PRAXIS) and pedagogical assessment requirements.
  • LEA-Specific licenses may be granted in special education and preschool special education license areas provided the LEA meets other requirements for LEA-Specific licensure and provides educator special education law training within the first month of employment.
  • Eminence License rules outlined, moved from R277-309.

R277-302 – Educator License Renewal

  • Professional educator licenses may be renewed with 100 points in four categories:  professional learning experiences, educator collaboration opportunities, professional service, and alternate learning opportunities.  Note that teaching experience is no longer an option for points’ accrual.  Please see the rule for more details.  Resources and renewal forms from USBE are forthcoming.
  • LEAs are required to provide a minimum of 20 points/hours of professional learning to educators each year.
  • Professionally licensed educators may choose to use the current renewal system (200 points including teaching experience points) until June 30, 2025.

R277-303 – Teacher Preparation Programs

  • An Alternate Pathway to Professional Educator Licensure (APPEL) program may be developed by and individual LEA or a consortium of LEAs.

R277-306 – EPPs for School Psychologists, Audiologists, SLPs, SLTs, and Counselors

  • School Counselor license area requires a master’s degree in school counseling or a master’s degree in a related field and a licensure program.

R277-309 – Appropriate Licensing of Teachers

  • Eminence License rules removed and moved to R277-301.

R277-500 – Licensing Renewal (REPEALED)

As we move into “The Near Future,” services are becoming more available; educator-related services are included!  Specifically, fingerprinting services and testing services are now opening!  Hooray!!!

Some fingerprinting locations have started processing fingerprints on a limited basis.  Please encourage educators who need to complete a background check to call ahead to verify hours and operation precautions, such as wearing a face mask.  If your LEA is doing fingerprinting, please work to establish policies and procedures, including the use of appropriate PPE (gloves, masks, etc.), to keep your employees and those you serve safe.

ETS has announced the Praxis® tests at home solution in response to closures of testing centers. Registration for the first wave of tests begins on May 15 with the first test administration taking place on May 18.  While not all of the content assessments will be offered in the first wave of tests at home, most will be available by June 1st.  ETS’ COVID-19 website has been updated with some key information regarding the at home solution.

As you encourage your educators to meet requirements for licensure, including background checks and testing, the Educator Licensing team is optimistic that these adjustments will help educators become appropriately licensed prior to the upcoming school year.  Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  I know that many changes to licensing (an already complicated arena) lend itself to more questions.  We are here to help you support teachers!

Thank you for all that you do to support Utah’s students and teachers!  We will charge into “The New Future” together!

Kindest regards,

Malia

 _________________________

Malia Hite, Ed.D.

Educator Licensing Coordinator

Teaching & Learning   |  Utah State Board of Education

School Technology Check-in and Cleaning Guidelines:

  1. Make check-in appointments using proper social distancing inside and outside the building.
  2. Collect devices using masks and gloves.
  3. Wipe down devices with disinfectant provided by the custodial department. Do not spray disinfectant directly onto devices.
  4. Store devices for at least a week before reissuing.
  5. Principals should contact their AOS with questions regarding technology fines for damages.

Please advise your staff that Insurance Open Enrollment for this year is changing to May 15- June 30.  Let your staff know that they need to get a confirmation that they have gone in and updated or verified that everything is correct. Attached are Open Enrollment Highlights.

Insurance Open Enrollment May 15- June 30 for a September Effective Date

Enrollment elections will be made using www.infinityhr.com, the JSD online enrollment tool. All benefit eligible employees should log into the online system to verify dependents, beneficiaries and verify benefit elections. Included in attached Open Enrollment Highlights are InfinityHR enrollment instructions.

The following changes may be made during the open enrollment period.

  • Enroll in a new insurance plan
  • Change or cancel an existing insurance plan
  • Add or cancel members from an existing plan
  • Flexible Spending elections (new elections must be made each year you wish to participate)

DATE:
May 1, 2020

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Administrator of Schools
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant of Planning and Enrollment
Scott Festin, Consultant of Planning and Enrollment

SUBJECT:
Student Enrollment for April 2020


Please see document below.

Below is information from the Resilient Utah Team along with a message from Governor Gary R. Herbert. We're sending you this information, they are asking to be sent out to parents, for your information only. You do not need to send it out. It is being sent to all parents through our Communications Department.

 

Dear Utah Principals,

Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert has declared May 2020 as Utah Resilience Month. Please click on the link below to review important information for principals state-wide.

We are so appreciative of your efforts to support your administrators, faculty and teachers as they and provide students with what they need to succeed during these unprecedented times. Our educators are our heroes.

https://www.resilient-utah.org/urm-principals-message/

Many thanks,

The Resilient Utah Team
www.Resilient-Utah.org

 

Dear Principals:

At this time, we are not taking any requests for rentals. No rentals or requests for use of our facilities/fields will be allowed until after June 5, 2020. This will be re-evaluated following that date and you will receive further communication regarding rentals at that time. If you notice that patrons are participating in organized sports on your fields, this has not been approved. Please help us control our properties and disallow this practice. You are encouraged to ask them to leave. You may also call 801-567-8865 for assistance to clear your fields.