School responses in Utah to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

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Responses by state


As students returned to school for the 2021-2022 school year, states set a variety of policies on education and the COVID-19 pandemic, including how schools should open to in-person instruction and whether students and staff would be required to wear masks. By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, about 66% of students nationwide were in states that left closure decisions to schools or districts, 33% were in states with state-ordered in-person instruction, and 1% were in states with state-ordered regional school closures.[1][2] All 50 states closed schools to in-person instruction at some point during the 2019-2020 school year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This article summarizes responses to the coronavirus in Utah schools in the academic years ending in 2020, 2021, and 2022. You will find:

Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This page is updated monthly, but our email is always open. We encourage you to share updates from local officials, policymakers, and campaigns in your community at [email protected].


Timeline by school year

Below is a list of major events involving schools in Utah during the coronavirus pandemic between 2019 and 2022, including school closings and openings, mask requirements, and the release of statewide operating guidance. Know of something we missed? Click here to email us and let us know.

2021-2022 school year

  • Sept. 9, 2021: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio, a school data aggregator, reported one in-person schooling disruption in Utah.[3][4]


2020-2021 school year

  • June 29, 2021: At the end of the school year, Burbio reported most schools were in-person in Utah.[5][6]
  • Sept. 10, 2020: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio reported a majority of schools were in-person in Utah .[7][8]
  • July 20, 2020: The Utah Department of Health issued an order mandating the use of face coverings in all public and private K-12 schools. The order included exemptions related to eating and drinking and medical conditions.[9]
  • June 29, 2020: Gov. Gary Herbert (R) approved the state Board of Education's reopening plan for the 2020-2021 school year. The plan allowed for local districts to make decisions based on state recommendations, although it did include specific mandates that all districts needed to follow. Local districts had to post public reopening plans online by August 1.[10]


2019-2020 school year

  • April 14, 2020: Herbert closed schools for the remainder of the academic year. Prior to the announcement, schools were closed through May 1.[11]
  • March 23, 2020: Herbert announced that the statewide school closure, scheduled to end March 31, was extended to May 1.[12]
  • March 13, 2020: Herbert ordered all schools to soft close for two weeks, effective March 16. The soft closure would allow classes to continue online.[13]

Mask and vaccine requirements in the 2021-2022 school year

Mask requirements in schools

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

As of August 1, 2022, no states had school mask requirements in effect. Forty-two states left mask requirements in schools up to local authorities. Seven states banned school mask requirements.

The table below shows statewide school mask requirement laws and orders in states with school mask requirements or school mask requirement bans in place at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Mask requirement orders
State Ban or requirement? Type of order Date lifted or altered
Arizona Ban Legislative action K.A.
Arkansas Ban Legislative action Sept. 30, 2021 - Suspended by court action
California Requirement California Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Connecticut Requirement Executive order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Delaware Requirement Executive order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Florida Ban Executive order N/A[14]
Georgien Ban Legislative action K.A.
Hawaii Requirement Executive order Aug. 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Illinois Requirement Illinois Department of Public Health order Feb. 4, 2022 - Suspended by court action[15]
Iowa Ban Legislative action May 16, 2022 - Reinstated by court action[16]
Kentucky Requirement Kentucky Board of Education order Sept. 9, 2021 - Suspended by state law
Louisiana Requirement Executive order Feb. 16, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[17]
Maryland Requirement Maryland State Board of Education order March 1, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[18]
Massachusetts Requirement Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education order Feb. 28, 2022 - Lifted by executive action[19]
Nevada Requirement Executive order Feb. 10, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Jersey Requirement Executive order March 7, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New Mexico Requirement New Mexico Public Education Department order Feb. 17, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
New York Requirement Executive order March 3, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Oklahoma Ban Executive order K.A.
Oregon Requirement Oregon Health Authority and Department of Education order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
Pennsylvania Requirement Pennsylvania Department of Health order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Rhode Island Requirement Executive order March 4, 2022 - Lifted by executive action
South Carolina Ban Legislative action Sept. 28, 2021 - Temporarily suspended by court action
Tennessee Ban Executive order Dec. 10, 2021 - Suspended by court action
Texas Ban Executive order N/A[20]
Utah Ban Legislative action K.A.
Virginia Ban Legislative action K.A.
Washington Requirement Washington State Department of Public Health order March 12, 2022 - Lifted by executive action

School mask requirements over time

School mask bans over time


Teacher and school employee vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

Seven states had issued a statewide requirement for K-12 teachers and staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or receive regular coronavirus testing during the 2021-2022 school year. The table below shows teacher and staff vaccine requirement laws and orders in states that issued such policies during the 2021-2022 school year.

Vaccine requirement orders
State Testing instead of vaccination allowed? Type of order Date effective
California Yes California Department of Public Health order Oct. 15, 2021
Connecticut No Executive order Sept. 27, 2021
Delaware Yes Executive order Nov. 1, 2021
Illinois Yes Executive order Issued: Sept. 19, 2021
Suspended by court action on Feb. 4, 2022
New Jersey Yes Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
New York Yes Executive order Sept. 19, 2021
Oregon No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021
Washington No Executive order Oct. 18, 2021


Student vaccine requirements

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2021-2022 academic year

On Oct. 1, 2021, California was the first state to announce a vaccine requirement for eligible students. Louisiana also announced a vaccine requirement for eligible students on Dec. 14, but then announced the state would be removing the coronavirus vaccine from the list of required immunizations in schools on May 18, 2022.

School reopenings and closures (2020-2021 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2020-2021 academic year

Initial school year operating plan

See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery: August 3, 2020

Utah released an initial operating plan for the 2020-2021 school year on July 17, 2020. An analysis of this plan appeared in our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter on August 3. The sections below include an analysis of the plan, the details of the plan, and reactions from officials to the plan.

The Utah State Board of Education most recently updated its school reopening guidance on July 17. Gov. Gary Herbert (R) said, “We appreciate the thought, care and work that went into these requirements and recommendations. We appreciate that so many health care professionals, teachers, administrators, parents, classified workers and others devoted their energies into creating these guidelines to help keep our children and our school employees safe and healthy this coming academic year.”

On July 28, the Utah Education Association asked Herbert to delay reopening schools: “We call on Gov. Gary Herbert to lead with science and safety and declare that schools in impacted areas will open remotely this fall,” the union wrote in a letter unanimously approved by its board of directors. “We call on him to declare that local school districts should NOT return to in-person learning until COVID-19 cases decline.”

Utah does not have a statewide date for public schools to reopen—individual districts that meet the state’s requirements can set their own timelines, depending on the virus’ effect on their community. According to EdWeek, public schools in Utah traditionally start the academic year in mid- to late August, with the exact start date varying by district.

On March 13, Gov. Herbert closed schools from March 16 to March 31. On March 23, Herbert extended the closure through May 1. The governor closed schools for the rest of the academic year on April 14.

Context

Utah is a Republican trifecta. The governor is a Republican, and Republicans have majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The state became a Republican trifecta in 2011.

The following tables show public education statistics in Utah, including a rank comparing it to the other 49 states. Rank one is the highest number of each figure, rank 50 is the lowest. All data comes from the Common Core of Data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Utah school metrics
Kategorie Figure Rank
Per pupil spending (16-17) $8,810 49
Number of students (18-19) 676,440 28
Number of teachers (Fall 2016) 28,841 34
Number of public schools (18-19) 1,072 33
Student:teacher ratio (18-19) 22.8 3
Percent qualifying for free/reduced lunch (16-17) 36.4% 47


Utah school revenue
Kategorie Figure Rank
Total revenue $5,127,846,000 33
Federal revenue percent 8.8% 27
State revenue percent 54.6% 19
Local revenue percent 36.6% 32

Details

District reopening plans

The plan says: “Local education agencies (LEAs) are required to develop comprehensive reopening plans that are approved by the local school board or charter school governing board in an open and public meeting and made available to the public on the local education agency’s and each schools’ websites by August 1, 2020.” The plans need to comply with state requirements.

In-person, hybrid, and online learning

Districts are responsible for choosing in-person, hybrid, or fully remote schedules depending on the coronavirus’ effect on their community and the advice of local health officials. Districts are required to offer alternative schedules (like remote options) for students and families at higher risk of severe illness. The plan also encourages local school officials to develop an online option for other not-at-risk students and families who want to opt-in.

Mask requirements

The plan says, “each individual, including an employee, student, or visitor” is required to wear a face covering on public school property, in compliance with Gov. Herbert’s July 9 executive order.

In-person health recommendations and requirements

School districts are required to develop a process to train teachers in identifying and mitigating risk in classrooms. The plan also recommends:

"
  • Assign seats and/or small groups to support contact tracing
  • Keep the same students and teachers or staff with each group to the greatest extent practicable
  • Maximize space between seating and desks (acknowledging that 6 feet of distance between desks is not feasible for most Utah classrooms)
  • Seat students facing forward
  • Establish separation of students through other means, such as plexiglass barriers, if practicable
  • Identify and use large spaces (auditoriums, gyms, and outdoors) to maximize distancing
  • Move nonessential furniture and equipment out of classrooms to increase distancing footprints[21]
 ”

For specific requirements and recommendations relating to cafeterias, restrooms, assemblies, entering and exiting school buildings, recess, and special education, click here (starting on page four).

Transportation and busing requirements and restrictions

In creating their reopening plans, school districts are required to address the following mitigation tactics:

"
  • Implement strategies to ensure driver safety
  • Develop protocols for minimizing mixing of students from different households and regularly cleaning and disinfecting seats and other high-touch surfaces[21]
 ”

The plan also recommends districts:

"
  • Assign seating to support contact tracing
  • Maximize physical distancing, acknowledging that physical distancing of 6 feet or greater is not feasible in many instances
  • Plexiglass around driver[21]
 ”

Map of school closures

The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year.

As of July 8, 2021, the status of school closures and reopenings was as follows:

  • Two states (Delaware, Hawaii) and Washington, D.C. had state-ordered regional school closures, required closures for certain grade levels, or allowed hybrid instruction only.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 410,896 students (0.81% of students nationwide)
  • Thirteen states had state-ordered in-person instruction.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 15,697,460 students (30.96% of students nationwide)
  • One state (Arizona) had state-ordered in-person instruction for certain grades.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 1,152,586 students (2.27% of students nationwide)
  • Thirty-four states left decisions to schools or districts.
    • 2019-20 enrollment: 33,449,499 students (65.96% of students nationwide)



School reopenings and closures (2019-2020 academic year)

See also: School responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the 2019-2020 academic year


The map below shows the status of school reopenings and closures at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.

  • States closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 48
  • Number of public school students in states closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year: 50,261,464


The chart below shows the first date schools in a state were closed to in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 academic year, divided by the political party of the governor.

School responses by state

To read about school responses to the coronavirus pandemic in others states, click one of the following links below:

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Number of operating public schools and districts, student membership, teachers, and pupil/teacher ratio, by state or jurisdiction: School year 2019–20," accessed September 10, 2021
  2. ↑ EducationWeek, "Map: Where Were Schools Required to Be Open for the 2020-21 School Year?," June 14, 2021
  3. ↑ To read more about Burbio's school disruption tracking, click here
  4. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed August 27, 2021
  5. ↑ Burbio rated Utah's in-person index at 94.3. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  6. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  7. ↑ Burbio rated Utah's in-person index between 60-80. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  8. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  9. ↑ Governor of Utah, "Governor Issues Executive Order Adopting Updated Phased Guidelines and the State Health Department Issues Public Health Order Mandating Masks in all K-12 Schools," July 20, 2020
  10. ↑ Deseret News, "Governor approves school board plan for reopening Utah public schools this fall," June 29, 2020
  11. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah K-12 schools will remain closed through academic year due to coronavirus," April 14, 2020
  12. ↑ Daily Herald, "Gov. Herbert says Utah schools will extend closure until May 1," March 23, 2020
  13. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah K-12 schools dismissed for a two-week ‘soft closure’ due to coronavirus," March 13, 2020
  14. ↑ On Sept. 2, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Sept. 10.
  15. ↑ Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) ended the statewide school mask requirement on Feb. 28, 2022.
  16. ↑ On Sept. 13, 2021 the ban was temporarily suspended by court action for all schools. On Jan. 25, 2022, the ban was partially reinstated.
  17. ↑ Oct. 26, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they followed CDC quarantine guidance
  18. ↑ Dec. 7, 2021 - School districts could be exempt from the school mask requirement if they met one of the three following criteria: 1) the county vaccination rate was 80% or higher, 2) 80% of school staff and students were vaccinated, or 3) COVID-19 transmission in the county was considered moderate or low for 14 straight days.
  19. ↑ Oct. 1 - Schools could become exempt from the school mask requirement when at least 80% of students were vaccinated
  20. ↑ On Nov. 10, 2021 the ban was suspended by court action. An appeals court upheld the ban on Dec. 1.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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