Canyons School District governs the educational landscape for Alta residents, overseeing Alta High School, which is located at 11055 S. 1000 East in Sandy, Utah. According to the school's own website, the institution describes itself as an inclusive learning community with a tradition of inspiring, supporting, and collaborating with students as they prepare to be engaged citizens in their pursuit of continuous success.
Regarding student conduct and technology, Canyons School District High Schools have found that personal technology and attendance issues have greatly impacted the ability of students to be successful at school, according to an undated document regarding attendance and personal technology policies. To address these issues, Alta High School, in conjunction with the other Canyons School District High Schools, will be implementing a Personal Technology Policy and Attendance Policy. Under these guidelines, "Personal Technology" refers to students' cell phones, personal computers, headphones, AirPods, smart watches, gaming devices, or anything else that can connect to the internet.
Students face specific expectations regarding these devices. According to the undated attendance and technology policy, students are expected to abstain from ANY personal technology use during class time. Furthermore, students will not have access to personal technology while using a hall pass. The policy states that students are expected to use school-issued Chromebooks for technology needs. Students are expected to store their personal technology in designated storage areas during assessments, presentations, direct instruction, class discussions, or any other time deemed appropriate by the teacher. However, the policy notes that Alta High School recognizes that personal technology may be used for medical reasons and the controlling of medical devices; in such instances, the school asks that parents speak to an administrator. Students will have access to their personal technology during times designated by the teacher, during technology-based instructional activities that cannot be easily completed with a Chromebook, and in between classes and at lunch.
Violations of the personal technology policy follow a specific sequence of disciplinary actions according to the undated policy. A first violation results in verbal redirection from a teacher. A second violation involves the device being surrendered to the teacher for the class period and an email sent to the parent or guardian documenting the violation. In this second instance, the device may be returned to the student at the conclusion of the class period or end of day. A third violation results in the confiscation of the device to Campus Security to be held at the Attendance office, where the student collects the device at the end of day. A fourth violation results in the device being surrendered to the Attendance Office for the remainder of the day, at which point parents will be contacted to retrieve the device and meet with an administrator. A fifth violation results in the device being surrendered to the Attendance Office for the remainder of the day and parents being contacted. The administrative team will decide the next steps following the Canyons School District "Levels of Behavior" document, which could result in a loss of privileges at school.
For parents needing to contact students during class time, the school directs them to contact the Alta High School Attendance Office at 801-826-5610, according to the undated policy. Office hours for the school are listed as Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to an undated faculty page.
What this means for Alta
Alta residents should note that Canyons School District manages Alta High School, which maintains strict policies regarding student technology and attendance. These rules aim to ensure student success by limiting distractions. Parents are expected to support these policies at home and communicate with the school Attendance Office if they need to reach a student during class hours.
