Special Report
School & District Management

Salt Lake City Urged to Close Schools During Olympics

By John Gehring — September 26, 2001 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Worried that local schools could be targeted by terrorists during the 2002 Winter Olympics to be held in February, the president of the Salt Lake City teachers’ association has asked the city’s school board to reverse a decision it made last year to keep schools open during the event.

Elaine Tzourtzouklis, the president of the 900-member union, had urged closing schools in the Salt Lake City district even before this month’s terrorists attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, so that students and teachers from the Olympic Games’ host city could attend events as spectators or volunteers.

Closing the schools for security reasons, she said, is even more important now.

“My concern is the safety of the people in the school buildings,” Ms. Tzourtzouklis said. “Some of the schools are right in the middle of all this activity.”

The Olympics run from Feb. 8 through Feb. 24. The 24,000-student district already plans to close West High School and Washington Elementary School for one week during the Games because of their locations close to Olympic venues.

While the board of education didn’t discuss school closures during its Sept. 18 meeting, some members expressed concern about plans to rent out the parking lot of West High to the Salt Lake Olympic Committee.

The board was to close on a contract that would lease the high school’s driving range to the committee so that it could be used for pedestrian pickup points during events. West High is located near the Delta Center, an Olympic venue.

The decision, along with the question of closing schools, was scheduled to be studied further by the board at a meeting this week.

“The events of September 11 have certainly raised the stakes for many people who work in the schools,” said Joel Briscoe, the president of the Salt Lake City board of education. “But we shouldn’t make some knee-jerk judgment now. We just need to step back and give this some time.”

Other districts in Utah had already decided to close schools for some time during the Olympics for logistical and transportation reasons.

Terry Shoemaker, the superintendent of the 3,700-student Wasatch district in Heber City, said the district decided last year to close schools for a week because traffic routes through the area will be clogged with people going to events.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks, the decision makes even more sense, Mr. Shoemaker said. “We feel even better now that we will not be in session,” he said last week.

The 2,000-student Morgan district and the 3,900-student Park City district also will be closed for one week because of expected traffic complications related to their proximity to Olympic events.

But most of the state’s 40 districts will keep schools open during the Olympics, according to Mark Peterson, the public relations director for the Utah State Office of Education.

The 73,000-student Jordan district, the state’s largest, will remain open as well.

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
End Student Boredom: K-12 Publisher's Guide to 70% Engagement Boost
Calling all K-12 Publishers! Student engagement flatlining? Learn how to boost it by up to 70%.
Content provided by KITABOO

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management How Principals Can Boost Teacher Morale
Principals share advice for how they support teachers during uncertain times.
4 min read
Vector illustration of a large handing holding an open book with silhouetted women and men standing on the pages of the open book.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Denver Superintendent: Why We Sued the Federal Government
Education leaders shouldn't remain apolitical in the face of immigration enforcement changes and other threats from the Trump administration.
Alex Marrero
6 min read
Human hands created secure environment for children via home roof gesture. Adults taking care of vulnerable students.
Mary Long/iStock + Education Week
School & District Management Food and Massage Coupons: How Principals Signal Their Appreciation for Teachers
Small gestures can go a long way this Teacher Appreciation Week.
5 min read
Image of a notebook page with "THANK YOU TEACHER" written with some doodles and smiley faces.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How to Be a Focused Leader When There’s a Lot of Noise
Burnout, attrition, absenteeism, and disengagement are key issues for schools. Here's a path forward for educators.
3 min read
Screen Shot 2025 04 29 at 6.54.09 AM
Canva