The Canyons Board of Education unanimously approved the Salt Lake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan and renewed exemptions for two small schools at its Tuesday, Oct. 20 meeting, according to the meeting agenda.
The actions affect families across the district, which serves roughly 30,000 students at schools including Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights and Ridgecrest Elementary in Cottonwood Heights.
Board member Katie Dahle moved to approve the eight-item consent agenda. Board member Andrew Edtl seconded. The vote was unanimous.
The hazard mitigation plan is a countywide document that coordinates emergency preparedness across Salt Lake County jurisdictions. The board's approval adds Canyons School District as a participating entity.
Two district schools, Goldminer's Daughter in Alta and Life Skills Academy in Sandy, received exemptions from School Community Council (SCC) requirements for the 2026-27 school year. Under state education rules, school boards may exempt schools that struggle to form a functioning council.
Goldminer's Daughter is a one-room school housed inside the Goldminer's Daughter Lodge in Little Cottonwood Canyon. It averages fewer than 10 students per year, according to a district memo prepared by Susan Edwards, public engagement coordinator, and Alice Meridith, school performance director. The school advertised for parent SCC members and received no volunteers.
Life Skills Academy serves students ages 18 to 22 with special needs. Enrollment is typically under 50, and because students are adults, the school also received no parent participation after advertising for SCC members. Principal Stacey Nofsinger led the Pledge of Allegiance and presented school highlights at the meeting.
Both schools have held the same exemption for the past three years, covering 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26. The exemption allows each school to develop a School Success plan and a LAND Trust plan without a formal council, then submit those plans to the board for approval and state funding.
The board also approved the sale of a district-owned property on Riverside Drive in Sandy and authorized the Trustlands School Success Plan and Land Trust for Sprucewood Elementary. Details on the property sale price and the Sprucewood plans were not included in the published agenda materials.
District enrollment fell to 30,365 students for the 2026-27 school year, down from 31,499 the prior year, according to Oct. 1 enrollment figures reviewed at the board's Oct. 6 meeting.
The board's next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 10, with a study session at 4:30 p.m. and business meeting at 7 p.m., at the district office, 9361 S. 300 East, Sandy.
