Salt Lake City School District 440 East 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

"The reasons the school board made for closing Hawthorne Elementary were complete nonsense. Oozing with self importance and gravity to make them feel better about themselves. Highest rated elementary school in the area. Closing because someone wants the land. It’s a total sham. Shame on them."

"During this crazy year our family has found a refuge waiting in the Salt Lake City School District. Our oldest switched to SLCSD after attending in Granite because of the thoughtful leadership exhibited by the SLCSD Board keeping our kids online until the Covid numbers could get lower or a vaccine could be offered to our school staff. We have had the absolute best experience at Highland Park Elementary and especially working with Michelle Cook and all the staff up there. I cannot recommend this school district more. Keep it up!"

"This school district demonstrates it's complete incompetence almost daily. The threat of lawsuits seems to be the only thing that motivates this school board into action. The interim superintendent and school board members should resign immediately. Pandering to the teachers during the pandemic has resulted in nothing but an entitled workforce that puts their needs above the students while still being fully compensated."

"This district doesn’t deserve even half of a star. My education is in the hands of people who have spent half a year unable to make a decision on whether or not to prioritize their students. It’s clear that the faculty and staff does not care about the suffering mental health of their students. They continue on with an embarrassing excuse for an education, and while I understand the difficulties of teaching online, we are falling behind every other district in quality of education. I honestly have not learned much during this school year, despite being a student that cares about school more than anything. After a SIX hour meeting, the board was unable to make a decision on its plans moving forward. Not only is this ineffective leadership (and a horrible example for me and my peers), but it is crystal clear that student well-being and progress is not a priority. I have sadly watched my siblings and friends in other districts return to school with staff that makes every effort to keep students in-person. Every day, East High School students sit at home with teachers who are ill-equipped to teach online. Not to mention the students who have difficult home situations and are further distracted from advancing their education. I am embarrassed to call myself a student in the Salt Lake City School District. The board is a weak representation of Utah education, and at this point it feels like they are taking advantage of the pandemic for personal reasons and neglecting student needs."

"I've worked in several schools across the district as well as several other districts in Salt Lake County. I have seen and experienced an overwhelming number of teachers who work hard, love kids, and who are receiving ongoing training to become better at their craft. It's not perfect, no institution is, but they are reaching children and providing them with high quality, research based instruction."