The rising COVID-19 cases are causing more schools in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District to institute temporary universal masking. Last week, the district’s COVID-19 data dashboard was updated to show how coronavirus numbers are affecting individual schools.
Several schools have instituted universal masking, including the following:
- Fireweed Academy – Operating with universal masking, through action approved by the APC to require face coverings effective September 7.
- Homer Flex School – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/21/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
- Homer High School – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/21/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
- Homer Middle School – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/21/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
- Kenai Middle School – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/21/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
- Paul Banks Elementary – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/21/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
- Port Graham School – Operating with universal masking.
- River City Academy – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/17/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
- Seward Elementary – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/10/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
- Seward High School – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/10/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
- Seward Middle School – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/10/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
- Sterling Elementary – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/21/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
- Susan B. English School – Operating with Universal Masking.
- Tebughna School – Operating with Universal Masking.
- West Homer Elementary – Operating with universal masking in place through 9/21/21, when it will be reevaluated to determine if face coverings can be highly encouraged instead of required.
Additionally, two KPBSD schools are operating in 100% remote instruction status:
- Moose Pass School – Operating in a 100% remote instruction status through 9/10/21.
- Nanwalek School – Beginning August 25, 2021, Nanwalek School is operating in a remote instruction status in response to a “hunker down” order issued by the local community authority. Remote instruction will continue through September 14, 2021.
In the cumulative summary, there have been 31 staff positives, 109 staff close contacts, 208 student positives, and 1,268 student close contacts.
The goal is to not close schools and move back into remote instruction. Pegge Erkeneff, Director of Communications, Community and Government relations for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District said:
“I do know there might be a classroom where both the teacher and all the students are either all close contacts or there was a positive but that can be delivered remotely with the teacher out. That is happening and then the other question about which schools would shift to universal masking, there’s different reasons for why that happens. What universal masking does is if everybody is wearing a face covering and the positive is a student, any other students that are nearby them don’t necessarily have to be in quarantine if they’re a close contact if they’re also wearing a mask, but that’s only in effect if there’s universal masking in place.”
Click here for a link to the KPBSD COVID Dashboard.