By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Mitigation policies designed to stop the spread of COVID-19 likely have prevented an outbreak in Sitka schools since classes resumed more than a month ago, District Superintendent Frank Hauser told the School Board Wednesday.
In the last week, local schools have reported a handful of virus cases, but no major outbreak.
“Our layered mitigations in SSD, including masking and testing, helped us identify and isolate our positive cases, keep them from escalating, keep our schools open and bring students back to in-person learning without lengthy or unnecessary quarantines,” the superintendent said.
All five Sitka schools remain open for in-person education, with masks required for students and staff. Under school district policy, these measures will be in effect whenever the district COVID alert is “high,” as it is at present, and also when it drops to “substantial” or “moderate.” At “low” risk, masks would become optional in most settings.
Though there have been coronavirus cases in local schools, Houser noted that Sitka schools, with their suite of mitigation measures, have contained the problem more effectively than some other Alaskan districts.
“As of today we have five active COVID cases connected to our SSD buildings,” Hauser said. “That number represents approximately 0.4 percent of our total student and staff population, so less than half a percent.”
He credited the district mitigation policies for preventing the spread of the virus, and compared that result to that of another Alaska school district that did not require masking and had about the same number of active cases in their elementary school as Keet had earlier in the month.
“Within a week, case counts in that other district school without masking quadrupled and the entire school shut down for two weeks,” he said.
While Sitka remains at high alert, Hauser said the situation is improving.
“Our current alert level in Sitka is still high. We had a spike after the Labor Day weekend that knocked us off course for a bit, but look at this, cases have begun to decrease and we’re headed in the right direction,” he said.
He expressed hope in the recent news that the Pfizer vaccine may soon become available to children as young as five.
He stressed the need to remain cautious as the pandemic continues.
“We also need to be cautious and careful, because we can’t let up our mitigations too soon while we still have high levels of COVID in our community,” he said. “One of the many remarkable things about this time period is the amount of real time data we have on COVID mitigations in schools. So we can see right now what will happen if we let up our mitigations too soon while we’re still at these higher levels.”
Turning to academic issues, the superintendent said recent PEAKS standardized test results indicate that Sitkan students tend to outperform their Alaskan peers.
“As compared with state scores, SSD in general had a higher percent proficient as compared to the state,” he said.
But moving forward, he said, students will take a different type of test, one designed to measure growth through the school year.
“Although PEAKS has some limitations, we’re losing it as a data point in the future, just as we’re beginning to get enough years of information to use it for decision making,” Hauser said.
The new statewide test “will better reflect learning throughout the school year,” Hauser said.
Wednesday’s meeting was the last for Eric Van Cise as a board member. He recalled that during his six years on the board there were efforts to shut down Pacific High School in order to save money.
He urged the board to resist such efforts in the future.
“Pacific High School once again fell into the cross-hairs for consolidation (several years ago), maybe for moving to Sitka High School, shutting it down altogether... I’m hopeful that that discussion is permanently put to bed for that school, but it was an interesting period of time. And on that note, we have five schools and I hope that we can maintain five schools. You can think of those as five pillars, support pillars,” he said.
He also expressed his support for vocational programs in the schools.
“I really appreciate the fact that we have a district that takes value in vocational education...We have the finest facilities in a public high school in the state of Alaska,” he said.
Board member Andrew Hames thanked Van Cise for his contributions.
“We only got to work together for a year, which I really, really enjoyed,” Hames said. “And you have absolutely played the Obi Wan Kenobi role amongst us as far as being a mentor figure.”
Blossom Teal-Olsen also thanked Van Cise. “You always found a way to come in and do your part and contribute, and we definitely profited from your dedication and your care. And Sitka is a better place for that,” she said.
The board also discussed the possibility of writing a district policy that would allow students to wear Indigenous dress and regalia at graduation.
Teal-Olsen said that she is “excited to hear that we are on this subject...From my understanding the policy that we do have in place is very vague...We need to have something in writing to support our practices,” she said.
Hauser expressed support for the idea.
“I fully support a graduation regalia policy in SSD that provides for students wearing traditional Tribal regalia or objects of cultural significance at graduation ceremonies,” the superintendent said. “I do not believe that students should be required to wear a cap if it’s incompatible with the regalia or significant object. I also do not support any type of approval process like some other districts have, a regalia process. For me, a graduation day is a day to celebrate our students and honor their achievements.”
Board member Paul Rioux suggested that such a policy could also be expanded to allow for a wide range of cultural dress.
“I’m definitely in favor of regalia and objects of students’ significance,” Rioux said. “I think that perhaps we should even widen the scope in the idea that we have other cultures that may want to be represented. We may end up falling into a situation of saying where do we just put this, rather than coming up with a list of things that are allowed, sort of focusing on what would be dissuaded, anything that might be offensive.”
In other business, the board recognized Stacey Golden, one of five Alaskan educators nominated as a finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The Sitka High girls track and field team was honored for winning the 2021 Division 2 state title last spring, and track coach Jeremy Strong for being named the Alaska 2021 track and field coach of the year.
The board meets again at 5 p.m. on Oct. 15 for a special meeting to swear in Todd Gebler and Amy Morrison, who were elected in the Oct. 5 city election. Gebler is a newcomer to the board and Morrison will be serving her second term on the board.
