Students in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District returned from Winter/Holiday break today in the same way they went into it, mostly through Zoom meetings, but Superintendent John O’Brien spoke to KSRM on a possible Tuesday announcement for a return to in-person learning soon.
He said, “The big question will be for on-sight classes and currently only Pre-K, K and intensive needs students are attending in-person, however, we will be making an announcement tomorrow likely mid-day as to whether or not we’ll be bringing students back on Monday January 11th, a week earlier than anticipated. Given what I’ve seen with numbers and the other data and metrics, I think we can hopefully anticipate that tomorrow’s announcement will be affirmative for bringing students back to in-person learning starting Monday January 11th. This is not an official announcement, just giving you a little heads up on that announcement will be made tomorrow.”
In December, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education approved bringing more students back to on-site learning. The specifications for on-sight learning include:
- Pre-K through Grade 6: every day, Monday through Friday. This includes 6th grade at all KPBSD schools
- Grades 7-12: attend two times a week onsite, with split schedule days
- School teams may identify additional at-risk or vulnerable students throughout the semester to attend additional time onsite
- Schools will communicate their plans with students and families. Your patience is appreciated as these schedules are created and shared
- Previously identified vulnerable students may continue to attend school onsite five days a week
O’Brien also addressed the need for Kenai Peninsula Borough School Board approval, “The School Board, at our last board meeting, they approved revisions to the Smart Start Plan with a target date for resuming in-person classes if numbers merit it on January 19th, however they did give me, as Superintendent, the authority to bring students back sooner if I felt like numbers merited it. It doesn’t require us waiting for the Board meeting on the 11th to decide and then bringing them back on the 12th. If tomorrow’s numbers look good and we hear that our hospitals are in good shape with capacity and we decide to bring students back on the 11th, we’ll be making that announcement tomorrow. Yes the board has already given me the authority to do that.”