PLAIN CITY, Utah, Dec. 21, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Fremont High School in Plain City is transitioning to online learning again due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
“In consultation with officials at the Weber-Morgan Health Department, Fremont High School will be closed again and all instruction moved online,” said a news release from Weber School District. “This action is in response to a high number of COVID-19 cases among staff and students.”
The school has been experiencing a gradual increase in the number of COVID-19 cases over the past week, the news release said. “Test to Play” for extracurricular activities was conducted Monday morning, and multiple new cases were discovered across various teams. Currently, there are over 30 active cases at the school, officials said.
According to the Utah Department of Health’s School Manual, an outbreak is defined when “15 people tested positive for COVID-19 across multiple settings in the school (more than one classroom) and are connected by the same time period.” Individuals who test positive must isolate and anyone exposed will be instructed to quarantine for 10 days.
The soft closure will begin today, Monday, Dec. 21 at 12:30 p.m. Students are scheduled to return to in-person instruction on Tuesday, Jan. 5, after winter break. During the closure, the building will be disinfected and sanitized according to the Safe Weber Framework.
Fremont High previously closed on Nov. 19 after an outbreak of COVID-19 occurred at the school. Students had returned to the classrooms on Dec. 3.
Fremont is the fourth high school in Weber School District to transition to online learning for a second time during the 2020-21 school year, joining Bonneville High, Roy High and Weber High.
Orion Junior High, Rocky Mountain Junior High, and Snowcrest Junior High have all transitioned to online learning for a period this school year. Rocky Mountain is still in soft closure until Jan. 4.
“We are asking that everyone please abide by current health guidelines, which includes wearing masks, physically distancing from others, and limiting social gatherings,” the news release said. “In order to keep our schools open, we have to reduce the number of cases coming into the school environment.”
