With the 2019-2020 school year set to officially end on May 20, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is already making plans for launching the 2020 – 2021 school year. Pending any changes to the calendar, the school year is set to launch on August 18, and the district is gearing up for a return to the school buildings after weeks of distance learning.
Teachers on the Kenai have been adapting to distance learning since its official launch at the end of March, following the district’s Spring Break. The COVID-19 pandemic led districts across the nation to make the difficult decision to keep staff in-schools, but to restrict students. The KPBSD launched a distance learning curriculum, both online and offline, as well as a school lunch pick-up program. Now, as that phase comes to an end, one question lingers: what’s next?
KPBSD Superintendent John O’Brien told KSRM this week that registration for the school year will comply with social distancing guidelines: “This year, everything will be available online. So, if you know the school, you can check out either that school’s website, give that school a call, they can give you that information. Or check out the website at KPBSD.org.”
Once the kids are experiencing a sense of normalcy in the classroom, Superintendent O’Brien hopes that a normal sports season will also be in-place: “We’re currently working closely with Billy Strickland, Executive Director of the Alaska Schools Activities Association (ASAA), just to try to get our minds wrapped around what fall sports might look like in terms of sporting season. There’s still a lot of time. Things could change between now and fall. We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to have somewhat of a normal sports season, but it’s still way too early to tell on that. Please know that ASAA is working very hard to try to come up with plans for what fall sports might look like.”
No decisions about changing the school calendar have been made by KPBSD, but stay with KSRM News for any updates.