By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Canceled flights and positive COVID-19 tests are delaying the return to class for more than half of Mt. Edgecumbe High School’s 380-student enrollment.
Superintendent Janelle Vanasse said the 180 who have already returned after the mid-year break are generally happy to be back for the first school day of the year on Monday, January 10. (That number was up to 265 by press time today.)
“It’s been an interesting re-entry,” she said. “Weather across the state has been crazy – delayed flights, in addition to COVID.”
The bad weather up north caused flights to be canceled, delayed and rescheduled. Other cancellations have been caused by staffing shortages related to the surge in COVID cases.
A flight from Anchorage got stuck in Juneau on Sunday. Most of the Mt. Edgecumbe students aboard were rebooked and got to Sitka the same day, but eight had to overnight in Juneau. Another flight from Anchorage was also delayed, and arrived in Sitka at 3:30 a.m. Monday.
All students were tested for COVID on arrival at the airport, and seven were positive for the virus by Monday, Vanasse said. That figure for arriving students was updated to 19 positive cases today.
The school COVID mitigation plan calls for students to quarantine upon arrival until receiving test results. Those testing positive are isolating on and off campus, she said. A second negative result is needed for unvaccinated students.
The state boarding school is in its second full year of operating with COVID precautions, and teachers have adjusted to accommodate students not able to attend class in person due to quarantine and isolation.
Vanasse said the school staff had expected to see some students testing positive upon return to school.
“We expected that,” she said. “That’s the information we’ve been hearing with the Omicron variant: it’s quick to spread and many are asymptomatic or have light symptoms. The reality of this variant is that the kids who are asymptomatic – they don’t know they’re positive until they test.”
Vanasse said the school’s plan for limiting the spread of COVID has been working, but it does require flexibility on the part of students and staff when unexpected things like flight cancellations and delays occur due to weather.
“With the travel craziness we did a lot of juggling – the staff is getting darn good at it, even when they find themselves at the airport at 3 a.m. to pick kids up,” she said.
