By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka schools are closed, and will remain shut through at least March 30 as a measure to prevent the spread of the respiratory virus COVID-19, the Sitka School District announced Friday.
The directive to shutter district schools throughout the state came from the governor’s office.
The Sitka School District was scheduled to be on spring break this week, March 16-20, regardless of virus, and will remain closed for virus concerns until March 30.
Co-Assistant Superintendent Phil Burdick told the Sentinel that next week, March 23-30 will be inservice days for school staff, as per Gov. Dunleavy’s order.
Burdick said staff will prepare for the possibility for distance learning past March 30.
“We do have some capacity (for online classes if needed), but again we’re trying to create something in six days (next week’s inservice period) that many experts take six months to do,” Burdick said. “We’re all going to get really good at being flexible and responsive to student needs.”
In a Friday letter to families of students, Burdick acknowledged that school closures will have a broad impact on families, from childcare to the needs of students who rely on schools for lunch.
“We understand that childcare is a challenge when schools are closed. As a school-based program, Ventures (an after-school childcare program) also will be closed. Our community will need to work together to ensure students have safe and enriching places to go,” Burdick wrote in the letter to families.
“Many Sitka families rely on school meals to meet basic nutrition needs. We are working with our school food contractor to identify ways to distribute meals to families in need during the closure. Similarly, we understand that families have varying levels of access to technology needed for remote learning, and we are working on ways to alleviate those needs. We anticipate contacting families to identify needs the week of March 23,” he continued.
Burdick also spoke at Friday’s special meeting of the Sitka Assembly. There, he emphasized that school janitorial staff will focus on keeping Sitka schools sanitary and safe.
He noted on Friday and reaffirmed today that the situation is fluid.
“Because things are changing so fast, we’re trying to remain flexible in our thinking and in our planning,” Burdick said Friday at the Assembly meeting. “I count ourselves lucky that spring break is happening this next week (now this week).”
Burdick added that he and other school administrators will discuss future options today.
The new virus has impacted sports worldwide and in Alaska. While the Region V basketball tournament in Juneau concluded this weekend, the state tournaments for basketball and cheer, originally scheduled for March 26-29 in Anchorage, are canceled.
Music Fest and Art Fest are also canceled.
Mt. Edgecumbe High School, a state-operated boarding school with about 90 percent of its 385 students from rural Alaska, will keep classes in session, said Principal Janell Vanesse. She said parents have the right to pull their students from school, but if Mt. Edgecumbe High shuts down due to virus concerns, the school will remain closed for the entirety of the school year.
The Sitka School Board will meet in executive session this evening, but Burdick said that the topic will be the search for a new superintendent, not virus issues. Superintendent Mary Wegner has given notice that she will not renew her contract when it ends at the end of June.
Local government and public health officials have made recommendations to Sitka residents in line with those of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet) from others when possible.”
