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An Edition of the
Saturday, March 21, 2020 • Vol. 119, No. 9 • FREE
Leadership changes
Police report
School district names new school administrators - See page A5
Officers stop vehicle, find heroine inside - See page A2
Mayor makes emergency declaration in response to COVID-19 BY CONNOR RICHARDS
Daily Herald
Spanish Fork Mayor Steve Leifson made an emergency declaration on Tuesday, which includes a prohibition on out-of-state work-related travel for city employees, that will be in place until the threat of the coronavirus has passed. The Spanish Fork City Council voted unanimously in support of the emergency declaration, which went into effect immediately after the vote. The emergency declaration put into place “self-quarantine regulations” that all city employees are required to follow. If a city employee has been
in “close contact” with an individual who has a confirmed diagnosis for COVID-19 or “has traveled outside of the country or within the country in an area known to have a high concentration of individuals that have tested positive for COVID-19,” they are ordered to self-quarantine for 14 days “before physically returning to work.” The emergency declaration restricts work-related travel, stating that “all out-of-state work-related travel is prohibited” and that any “in-state travel must be pre-approved through the department director and human resources.” Additionally, any employee “who engages in out-ofstate personal travel will be
required to contact their department director and human resources before returning to work.” During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Scott Aylett, Spanish Fork’s public information officer, responded to resident’s questions posted to social media regarding COVID-19. One person asked whether Spanish Fork expected a complete shutdown of the city to prevent coronavirus from spreading. “We will continue to take direction from the Utah State Health Department, as well as the Utah County Health Department and the COVID task force that was set up by Gov. Herbert,” Aylett said.
“So we don’t necessarily anticipate a complete shutdown of the city at this point, but again we’ll continue to monitor the situation as we go along.” In the case of a shutdown of city services, Aylett said the city would use social media and the city website to communicate with residents, as well as an emergency notification system called Everbridge “where you can get an email, phone call or a text message with emergency updates.” “So certainly if it got to the point where there were emergency type notifications that needed to go out, we could reach the vast majority of the city using one of those tools,” he said.
Schools are closed, but the learning goes on BY CHRISTI C. BABBITT
Spanish Fork Press
On Friday, March 13, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced a two-week “soft closure” of all Utah public schools beginning March 16 to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. But while the classrooms would be closed, the learning would go on. The governor gave schools two days to make plans for instructing their students through other means. As a result, Nebo School District teachers and other personnel spent Monday and Tuesday preparing video lessons and other methods of online instruction as well as takehome packets in order to begin distance education for students on Wednesday. At Park Elementary School in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, recently sanitized Chromebooks were stacked up on tables in the lunchroom ready for checkout to students who needed a device to access their work online. Nebo School District Community Relations Specialist Lana Hiskey said the district has enough electronic devices to accommodate every student who needs one. “We’ve got teachers making videos so they can interact with their kids at home through video,” Hiskey said, adding that students would be able to do their work online or through packets picked up at their school. In her Park Elementary classroom Tuesday morning, third-grade teacher Bristi Poulson was putting together packets of math worksheets for her students. She had already made videos for the students to watch that would guide them through the worksheets. Poulson said students at her school would be accessing the videos through Google Classroom, where teachers could also post assignments and grade them. “We’re also making some videos so we can say hi to the kids every day and that we miss them and that we’re thinking about them,” Poulson said. Poulson became emotional when asked how she felt about the situation. “My first thoughts were like, oh no, I didn’t get to say goodbye” to her students, she said.
Aylett said Spanish Fork Library drop boxes would remain open, adding that the library had suspended all late fees for books or other checked out items. As a safety measure, Aylett said books returned to the library are being put in a “certain type of quarantine” where they are set aside for two or three days, cleaned and then put back in circulation. The public information officer recommended that residents reach out to their employers for guidelines on remaining safe at work, and that all residents should “certainly follow the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines
City working to maintain, adapt services for residents in midst of virus outbreak BY CHRISTI C. BABBITT
Spanish Fork Press
PHOTO BY CHRISTI C. BABBITT/SPANISH FORK PRESS
Park Elementary School third-grade teacher Bristi Poulson puts together math worksheet packets for her students on Tuesday. School classrooms statewide are closed for at least two weeks, but teachers spent Monday and Tuesday preparing to continue teaching utilizing other methods, including online instruction. While they may miss seeing their students in person, Poulson said she felt prepared for the situation. “It’s a lot, but we’re good,” she said. “I’m happy to take on the challenge. Honestly, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” While she was preparing math lessons for Park’s third-graders, the school’s other two third-grade teachers were working on lessons about science and social studies incorporating literacy instruction. Park’s Title I coordinator helped out through making a “get to know Google Classroom” video, something anyone using Google Classroom could utilize, Poulson said. “Our school really works well together,” she said. Hiskey said Nebo’s collaboration days have helped the district prepare for the current situation. Years ago, Nebo schools began dismissing early one day a week to provide time for teachers to
meet with other colleagues and discuss how to improve student learning. “These collaboration days … really have moved this forward because they’re used to working together in teams, they’re used to sharing across curriculum, and not just school wide,” Hiskey said. “We have team leaders from each school meeting together district-wide and sharing best practices, and that’s why we’re able to get this rolled out so quickly.” The district also has digital coaches with expertise in cutting-edge technology who can instruct other teachers how to teach online. Hiskey said if any Nebo students haven’t heard from their teacher by Friday morning, they or their parent should contact their school. Parents can obtain the most current and accurate Nebo School District information from their school or by visiting the district’s web site at nebo.edu.
that are out there in terms of social distancing and washing your hands and not touching your face.” What about residents who aren’t able to pay their utility bills? Leifson said residents who have been laid off, aren’t receiving their paychecks or otherwise can’t pay their utility bill should call the city utility staff, who will “work something out with you to make sure that we can get you taken (care of) through this period of time.” “We want everybody to be taken care of,” the mayor said. On Tuesday, the Utah County Health Department confirmed the county’s first resident case of COVID-19.
Many city services, programs and facilities have been canceled, postponed or shut down during the last two weeks as the COVID-19 virus threatened to spread, but a Spanish Fork City official is encouraging residents to live their lives as normally as possible. “We’re all in this together,” said Spanish Fork City Public Information Officer Scott Aylett. “We’re all in the same situation, trying to get through this kind of evolving issue that we’re all facing, and if we can approach it as a community and be cognizant of one another’s needs, it will make it a little bit easier for us to get those this.” City officials began holding emergency meetings to
determine how to respond to the virus threat a little over a week ago. Closures of facilities such as the city library, senior citizens center and rental spaces at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds quickly followed. The city’s first goal was to slow the spread of the virus, Aylett said. However, city officials were also considering what city services could be maintained or how they could be adapted to keep providing some level of service. For example, the Spanish Fork Library has been closed and its activities canceled, but residents can still obtain books. Library staff members are still working in the building and will honor hold requests from patrons made Please see CITY, Page A4
Holi Festival of Colors postponed until Sept. SPECIAL TO THE SPANISH FORK PRESS
The Holi Festival of Colors originally planned for March 28 and 29 in Spanish Fork has been postponed until Sept. 19 and 20. Tickets purchased for the March dates will be honored for the September dates. Those who have purchased tickets are encouraged to hold on to
them until September. The annual Holi Festival of Colors typical attracts thousands of people to the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple located at 311 W. 8500 South, Spanish Fork. Activities include interactive dance, live mantra bands, DJ’s, yoga instruction and food. For more information, visit festivalofcolorsusa. com.
We pay for ‘s !
YOUth Smart Savings a c c o u n t Spanish Fork • 1 N. Main • (801) 798-7481
*YOUth Smart Savings is for children up to 18 years old. Accounts will be converted to our Statement Savings Account at age 19. Interest is based on market and is subject to change without notice. Central Bank will deposit $1 for every A or A- earned on report cards, up to $32 per school year for grades 7-12. Up to six (6) withdrawals per month, or $1 per additional withdrawal in excess of six per month. Free ATM card available. Online banking inquiry access granted to all minors. Online debit and/or credit approval will be granted on a case-by-case basis at age 14. Must be reviewed and approved by guardian and office location. TelXpress access available. $5 cancellation fee if account is closed within 90 days.
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