South Summit School District (coincidentally) wires up for COVID-19

KAMAS— South Summit School District was already preparing for this. When the pandemic hit, Superintendent Dr. Shad Sorenson knew they were going to be ready for whatever the fall school year might bring. 

“We have the ability to record everything, audio and video, in every classroom we have.”  He estimated it was a half-million-dollar investment with Audio Enhancements, Inc., for the technology that was going to enhance and deliver teaching in new ways. 

Now, it’s going to be essential for their students depending on what the pandemic brings. The system can catalog everything that happens in class and allow it to be accessed like a DVR online in student’s homes. 

Sorenson says, “if a student is absent, this is a means to share information.  If a teacher wants to front load a lesson plan for students, its available.” And for kids having trouble with tough classes, “difficult concepts, that may need to be rewatched and rewatched [to understand,] they will now have that access.”  The ability to live stream. 

Now with a full year in-class looking dicey, this technology will be vital. 

Sorenson notes that the tech comes with a feature that was meant to address a pre-pandemic concern:  an attack at school. 

“If there is an intruder or a situation in a classroom that needs quick attention, the teacher can push a button on a microphone that sends an alert.”  He sums up, “The Board here is very attentive to  student safety, very attentive to professional learning, and as a result of being very attentive to those details… this [technology] will provide an excellent opportunity to continue class at a high level from home.”

The South Summit School District spans the Kamas Valley area, extending to Hwy 40 in Park City.