SALT LAKE CITY — At an emergency meeting Thursday night, the Granite School District authorized remote learning for all schools, through Jan. 21.

The unanimous vote came after Utah’s ‘test to stay’ has been suspended due to test capacity.

Friday was previously scheduled as a teacher planning day and Monday January 18 is a public holiday, which means there is no school. Therefore, remote learning would come into effect from January 18-21, with students returning to in-person instruction on January 24.

Extracurricular practices and events will proceed as normal, the district reports.

Equipment such as internet hotspots will be provided to students and families who need them during the online learning period. The district is asking families to contact their individual schools to obtain the necessary materials.

Free take-out meals will also be available at participating schools. Further information on meal pick-up times and locations will be made available.

“We fully recognize that remote learning is not ideal and we have concerns about our students and their emotional well-being,” Superintendent Rich Nye said. “In-person teaching provides important structure and support for our children. However, in the past two weeks we have had over 2,200 requests for teacher replacements as well as an increase in student absenteeism. In 3 recent Test to Stay events at our schools, newly identified cases were significant, with 1 in 5 students testing positive.

The district hopes pausing in-person learning will give students and staff the opportunity to slow the spread of COVID-19.