The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, in an attempt to determine the safest, most effective and responsible means of opening school buildings and school (district) facilities under the current state directives and mandates, CDC recommendations, ASAA policies, and social distancing standards, continues working with multiple state, federal, and local organizations and agencies toward an eventual opening of KPBSD facilities.
Peninsula Sports offers a four-part series on the efforts of the KPBSD and the directives established through cooperation with numerous contributors.
Part Two: District Establishes Mitigation Guidelines For User Groups
KPBSD Assistant Superintendent Dave Jones is heading the KPBSD’s efforts to safely re-open school facilities for public and school use for the summer of 2020 and in preparation of the 2020 school year.
The district will follow CDC guidelines and state recommendations in determining the proper ways and means for re-opening.
Assistant Superintendent Dave Jones…
” So we’ve been looking at all of those requirements on how we can open our buildings back up. Part of that plan is when we have people that want to use them, they’re going to need to be able to provide to us a mitigation plan to say ok here’s how we’re going to reduce the risk of the COVID-19 spread through our practices. We’ve also been waiting on and hoping for is ASAA has been a document and some guidance on reopening facilities and allowing activities.”
ASAA, the Alaska School Activities Association, has approved a June 1st opening of summer programs in its state-wide mandate. That did not include any guidelines for school districts to open up their buildings.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District does have a usage form agreement that is required of groups planning to use the area facilities. That agreement will now need to include your mitigation plan for the use of gyms, pools, outdoor facilities, anything under the guise of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.
Assistant Superintendent Dave Jones…
“We also have usage agreements that we’d like people to fill out to be able to use those, and those are where we are talking about do you want to use our soccer fields then what is your mitigation plan to make sure that students or whoever the users are are not at risk of catching COVID. So, if your plan is that you’re going to spread people 20 feet apart in rows and you’re going to do dribbling drills down the field and maintain the 20 feet–that’s good mitigation. But if your plan is to go full-out and play soccer and have contact that happens in soccer, that’s not a very good mitigation plan. So those are all the guidelines and things we’re trying to put in for people to know that we’re opening our facilities and we’re trying to do it under the requirements that are put in-place.”
“As far as people walking on the tracks or going out and playing on the playgrounds, we can not control that–They’re doing that at their own risk.”
User groups have already begun the mitigation plan process including groups with the intent to use area pools over the summer. Peninsula Sports will have a breakdown of reopening the pool facilities in Monday’s Part Three of our look at KPBSD’s plan to open up for the summer of 2020.
Alaska Phase 3 & 4 Advisory Documents
Attachment K Gyms, Fitness Centers, Sports, and Recreational Facilities: Click Here
Attachment P Swimming Pools: Click Here
Attachment U Organized Sports, Activities, and Guided Recreation: Click Here
Segments On KPBSD Facility Openings & Guidelines
Thursday, May 27 Part One: District Working Toward Re-opening Under CDC Guidelines
Monday, June 1 Part Three: Re-opening of Pool Facilities
Tuesday, June 2 Part Four School Summer Programs Usage Under ASAA & KPBSD Guidelines
