By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Sitka School District went to “masks optional” today after the community alert level dropped to medium under the new “COVID-19 community level” standards the city’s unified command has adopted.
As of today students in Sitka schools have the option of wearing a mask or not.
Eighth-grader Marley Richards stores cell phones this morning at Blatchley Middle School after students arrived on the first school day with a mask-optional policy. Marley said she had recently traveled, so was wearing a mask in consideration of others. Several school staff members were busy running rapid tests this morning as part of COVID-19 protocols. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
Mt. Edgecumbe High School made its own changes February 4, with masks optional in common areas of the dormitories. But at present the state boarding school is still requiring students to wear face coverings in class, on trips to town, and in large group gatherings.
Sitka schools had planned to go to optional masking when the city mask mandate ordinance expires March 22, but the date was moved up when the Unified Command’s adoption of the new CDC guidelines moved the city to the medium level.
The city ordinance states that masks aren’t required when the city drops below “high.”
School District Superintendent Frank Hauser notified parents by email about the effect of the Unified Command’s decision to use the new CDC metric on alert levels, which aren’t determined on other factors than the number of new cases in a seven-day period.
“At this medium level, the City and Borough face-covering ordinance will no longer be in effect,” Hauser said in the email. “SSD’s mask policy will be suspended. Masks will become optional in SSD on March 1. ... This does not mean that masks cannot by worn in schools (on March 1) or that no one should wear a mask.”
Hauser in his email discussed a spirit of compromise and finding a “middle ground” on COVID 19 policy. He quoted Dr. Leana Wen from the Milken Institute School of Public Health, at George Washington University.
“Throughout much of the pandemic, there were two camps: One that opposed restrictions [mitigations] and one that supported them. As both sides became more entrenched, a third has emerged,” Hauser said.
“This third group offers a middle ground between the two camps. It recognizes that there were times when we needed every tool in our mitigation toolbox, including masks, to keep downward, collective pressure on COVID-19—when our state’s hospitals were overwhelmed and rationing care (Delta), when not all parents who chose had the opportunity to vaccinate their students, and when our SSD schools were so short-staffed that principals were filling in for teachers (Omicron). We can now return one of our tools (masks) to our toolbox.”
Hauser said this middle ground recognizes that masks were not forever, and that although COVID is still here, “times have changed.”
He said the number of cases is decreasing, pressure on hospitals is down, 8 out of 10 Sitkans are vaccinated, treatments are available, and a large number of Alaskans have been infected with the Omicron variant.
“Rather, instead of a collective determination of the need for masks, such as when our collective health-care system was overwhelmed or our schools were critically short-staffed, mask wearing will shift to an individualized decision based on circumstances,” Hauser said.
The schools will continue to make N95 masks available, and offer free antigen testing.
“As the CDC notes, ‘people who wear high quality masks are well protected, even if others around you are not masking,’” Hauser said.
The superintendent asked everyone to respect the decision of families deciding to continue masking, since they may have their own personal or health reasons for doing so.
Hauser also stressed the need to follow other precautions, such as staying home when sick.
He finished his email on a hopeful note, saying the move to masks optional is another positive step. He thanked the public for working together to keep schools open for in-person learning all year.
Mt. Edgecumbe
Mt. Edgecumbe High School has been easing up on mitigations under a “multiphase” plan, said Superintendent Janelle Vanasse.
The school went to mask optional in living quarters in the dormitories in early February. At first there was an increase in case numbers, but those figures stabilized.
“That came down and we were seeing low numbers again,” Vanasse said. She added, “With our own data we were prepared to continue on a slow plan to ease up on mitigation factors. We’re going to continue to do that. With new guidance from the CDC we may be quicker in moving through that progression but we’ll continue to watch our own data.”
Presently masks are still required in many areas of the school, such as classrooms and offices, and events such as basketball games. Students are required to wear masks in town.
“We do hope to get to masks optional in classrooms,” Vanasse added. “We may consider it earlier with the new (CDC) guidance. We’ll ease up one mitigation at a time.”
