The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District announced on Tuesday afternoon that the Central Peninsula’s COVID-19 community transmission risk level jumped to High Risk, prompting 100% remote learning. Remote learning goes into effect on Wednesday, October 14.
The move to remote learning includes 17 central peninsula schools from the following area: Kenai, Soldotna, Nikiski, Kasilof, Sterling, and other communities in the central portion of the Kenai Peninsula.
From KPBSD Communications…
The 100% Remote Learning in the central peninsula will be for a minimum of one week. Today, DHSS stated that Alaska is experiencing an accelerated phase of COVID-19 spread.
Positive cases are reported daily in KPBSD schools and in the past few days in the central peninsula alone, between Nikiski Middle-High School, Nikiski North Star Elementary, Redoubt Elementary, and Skyview Middle School, contact tracing has placed over 63 staff and students in isolation or a 14-Day Quarantine.
Superintendent John O’Brien on KPBSD decision…
“The decision to operate central peninsula schools in High COVID-19 risk, with 100% Remote Learning, is not only to address concerns for the safety and wellbeing of our staff and students, but as a school district we play an important role to help our communities mitigate positive COVID-19 spread. By shifting to 100% Remote Learning during periods of high community spread, we lessen the number of large groups of people in one location. Even with our mitigation plans, we have seen an exponential growth of positive cases in our schools this past week. My hope is that we can slow the spread, and reopen schools as soon as Monday, October 26, 2020. We will all know more in the next week as the state catches up with a backlog of positive test results. I sincerely apologize for the strain this puts on families, students, staff, and businesses in an already stressful pandemic.”
Students designated as being ‘vulnerable’ students, such as those in special education prekindergarten, Title I prekindergarten, kindergarten, and certain other special education students, will still be able to attend in-school, even during High Risk status.
Contact your child’s school with any questions.
According to KPBSD, at this time, risk levels dictate schools in the Southern Peninsula – the Homer area, are still at the green Low Risk level. Eastern Peninsula – the Seward area is at High Risk, joined now by the Central Peninsula area.
The 17 Central Peninsula schools include:
- Aurora Borealis Charter School
- Kaleidoscope Charter School
- K-Beach Elementary School
- Kenai Alternative School
- Kenai Central High School
- Kenai Middle School
- Mountain View Elementary School
- Nikiski Middle-High School
- Nikiski North Star Elementary School
- Redoubt Elementary School
- River City Academy
- Skyview Middle School
- Soldotna Elementary School
- Soldotna High School
- Soldotna Montessori Charter School
- Sterling Elementary School
- Other North: Tustumena Elementary School
Link to KPBSD Communications Website: Click Here!