School district extends spring break

PALMER — Mat-Su Borough School District Superintendent Dr. Monica Goyette announced in a press conference on Friday that spring break would be extended another week in response to the coronavirus outbreak that reached Alaska on Thursday.

Alaska Education Commissioner Michael Johnson announced at a press conference later Friday evening that teachers would have non-student contact days until March 30.

“Our mission is education but our number one priority is always student safety,” said Goyette.

Students at residential schools such as Mount Edgecumbe in Sitka will be evaluated and schedule changes could develop as the state responds to the global pandemic.

As of Friday, only one person in Alaska has tested positive for COVID 19.

“We are certainly not in a crisis but we are preparing to avoid a crisis and what’s changed so rapid in the last couple days is that we’ve had our first diagnosed case, we are seeing many more countries become level three areas and with spring break many people from the Mat-Su, from Anchorage traveled and so we want that distance. We want to see and make sure that people are not symptomatic and so we will be using social distancing as our primary defense mechanism against this spreading,” said Goyette.

Johnson said that the status of seniors expected to graduate will not be affected and MSBSD is one of nine school districts statewide that will be providing remote meal delivery to students.

MSBSD staff will begin reentering schools on Monday with a staggered schedule.

Needs of what staff must be present in schools will be assessed and teachers throughout the district will begin preparation to provide distance education as soon as March 23.

Goyette said that she requested to the state not to have to make up school days at the end of year.

“We’re going to try and get that pre approved and really the rationale is we anticipate this might extend longer than next week and we would like to stand up remote delivery, whether that’s high tech or low tech still have to figure that out based on our community needs, but our goal is not to have to extend the school year,” said Goyette.

Goyette said that while staff would prepare to deliver coursework remotely by March 23, that could change in the coming week. More information on the school district’s response to covid 19 can be found at matsuk12/coronavirus.