Jan 22
17
COVID Mitigation Plan updates
Updates to the KPBSD mitigation plan effective January 18, 2022*
UPDATE to “Positive COVID-19 Monitor, Mask and Return” Protocol
Symptomatic Staff and students who test positive for COVID-19, and whose symptoms are resolved for 24 hours without taking medication may now return to work or school on Day 6, and wear a well-fitted mask through Day 10. (The positive test day or symptom onset is counted as Day 0.)
Contact Tracing
In schools that are operating with universal masking, KPBSD will no longer contact trace. Schools will support staff and students with testing options, and educational materials about what to do if someone is a close contact or tests positive.
Testing
KPBSD Health Services will work with schools to support their testing strategies for staff and families. Schools have an ample supply of surgical masks for staff and students who need or want one.
*The online versions of protocols, mitigation plan, and Symptom-Free Schools are in the process of being updated. Updated resources from the State and CDC for COVID-19 positive people and Close Contacts will be added to the website later this week.
Posted in KPBSD District Stories by .
Effective Wednesday, January 12, 2022
NEW! Staff and students who test positive for COVID-19 and have not experienced any symptoms of illness may choose an option to end isolation and return to work or school on Day 6. Staff and students must follow the KPBSD Monitor, Mask and Return Protocols to return to school or work:
MONITOR
- Be symptom free from illness (asymptomatic) on Days 0-5. The first day of a positive COVID-19 test is Day 0. If you have never developed symptoms of illness, on Day 6 you may return to work or school, and strictly follow the KPBSD Monitor, Mask and Return protocol.
MASK and RETURN
- Wear a well-fitting mask in school at all times days 6-10. If any symptoms of illness develop, you must stay home and isolate. When you cannot wear a face covering (i.e., when eating or drinking) you should maintain a minimum of six feet of distance from other individuals to every extent possible.
Athletes: In addition to the above protocols, to continue to participate in school sponsored co-curricular activities, athletes must also continue Daily Symptom Check Protocols.
Do you have symptoms and a positive COVID-19 test?
KPBSD staff and students who have COVID-19 and have or had symptoms may return to school or work ten days after their positive COVID-19 test or symptom onset date. They must be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
KPBSD is continuing to work with public health and may make revisions to this protocol in the next few weeks.
DEFINITIONS
- Isolation separates someone who is infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 (or presumed to be infected because they have symptoms) away from people who are not infected, including household members.
- Quarantine separates people who were exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 from others, including household members, during the time when they could become sick and infect others.
LINKS
- Free COVID-19 vaccinations are available for everyone age 5 and older. Find a location near you: https://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/epi/id/pages/covid-19/VaccineAppointments.aspx
- KPBSD COVID-19 Hub: covid19.kpbsd.org
- CDC COVID-19 Isolation for K-12 Schools
Posted in KPBSD District Stories by .
Do you want to check your health with a COVID-19 test and help schools run smoothly?
KPBSD is now offering our staff and families three free options!
Take home test kits
KPBSD partnered with the State of Alaska to offer free At Home Antigen Covid-19 test kits to KPBSD staff. Ask your school nurse for take-home test kits
At a KPBSD school
COVID-19 testing is available at all KPBSD schools, with parental consent
KPBSD Partnerships
Free in-person COVID-19 tests are available for KPBSD staff and families in Soldotna and Seward (more locations coming soon):
Glacier Family Medicine Clinic in Seward is providing free COVID testing for KPBSD staff and students
- Appointments preferred. Call 907-224-8733 to schedule. Testing is currently available M-F 8:15-4:30 PM
- Kindly indicate that you are getting tested for KPBSD so they won’t charge you or your insurance
Soldotna Professional Pharmacy in Soldotna is providing free COVID testing for KPBSD staff and students
- Appointment only
- Call 907-714-1603 (direct line) for scheduling. You may need to leave a message but someone will call you back. The main pharmacy line is 262-3800 if needed
- Kindly indicate that you are getting tested for KPBSD so they won’t charge you or your insurance
COVID-19 test clinic at Soldotna High School
- Call 907-260-0918 to schedule a COVID-19 test. Kindly tell the nurse if you or your student are a close contact, and-or if you or your student are having symptoms, and what school you or your student is from. IMPORTANT: If you are a close contact, the best days to get tested are days 5-7 after close contact with a positive COVID-19 case.
- Appointments are Mon. & Tues. from 8:00-4:00 and Wed., Thurs., Fri. from 8:00-2:00, by appointment.
- Arrive for your appointment: Park in the handicapped parking spots on the Marydale side of Soldotna High School and wait in your car. Someone will be out soon—please wave them down! If you do not see someone, call Nurse Rachel or Nurse Flo at 907-260-0918 to let them know you’ve arrived.
- There will be a consent form for the parent or guardian to fill out and sign. If you want to prepare your children, the nasal swab only goes a short distance into the nose (about one inch) and swirls five times in each nostril.
- Please plan to stay until your results are back. The test takes about twenty minutes in the machine, so it is generally 30-40 minutes from the time you arrive until the time you leave. The parking lot will be busy between 2:10-2:40, so if you will need to leave promptly please keep that in mind when you schedule your appointment.
Testing Sites in Alaska
Find a COVID-19 testing site in Alaska
Posted in KPBSD District Stories by .
January Board of Education Meeting
The following school board meetings and work sessions will be held in the
Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers at 144 Binkley Street, Soldotna AK unless otherwise noted.
PLEASE NOTE: The meetings are open to the public. The public is invited to attend in person and to listen and participate as noted below. District Administration may determine if it is prudent to allow public in person participation based on risk level or if the meeting will only be virtual and streamed live.
The 6:00 PM school board meeting will be streamed live (go to www.KPBSD.org and find the link on the homepage) or:
(877) 853-5257
Conference ID: 708 024 188
When prompted for an Attendee ID, press #.
Zoom ID: 708 024 188
Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers
9:00 a.m. Policy Review Committee Meeting (Public Listening)
10:00 a.m. Information Committee Meeting (Public Listening)
10:30 a.m. Finance Committee Meeting (Public Listening)
11:00 a.m. Special Meeting (Public Listening and Participation will be as noted on the Agenda in BoardDocs )
Work Sessions (Public Listening)
1:00 p.m. Board Policy Review
1:15 p.m. Assessment Report
1:45 p.m. Board Governance Handbook Review
2:15 p.m.Soldotna Reconfiguration
2:45 p.m. Legislative Priorities
3:15 p.m. Finance Work Session
4:30 p.m. Board Discussion
6:00 p.m. Business Meeting: (Public Listening and Participation will be as noted on the Agenda in BoardDocs )
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers
Quarterly Work Session
9:00 a.m.Special Meeting
10:00 a.m. Finance Work Session
11:00 a.m. Project Grad
4:00 p.m. Charter School CommitteeMeeting-Redoubt Conference Room(Public Listening)
If you would like to pre-register to testify telephonically (optional) or if you have any technical difficulties or questions, contact Lisa Gabriel at lgabriel@kpbsd.k12.ak.us, 907-714-8836, Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. To view the agenda and packet items, log on to: http://www.boarddocs.com/ak/kpbsd/Board.nsf/public. To view the live broadcast log on to http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us or Live Broadcast.
Dec 21
17
You’re invited to www.KPBSD.org …
A new year is close, and so is a newly designed, accessible, responsive Kenai Peninsula Borough School District website! After several years of work and design, the new KPBSD website is close to launching. You’re invited to preview the website during this soft rollout, offer feedback, and help the design team bug bash it.
Preview the new KPBSD website at https://go.kpbsd.org/websitepreview during this soft rollout.*
How-to give feedback about what your eagle eye finds:
Every page has a teal colored bar in the top banner, with an online website feedback link on the top right of the page. Kindly copy the URL from your browser when you send a comment about a page. That will assist our webmaster with the solution.
Our KPBSD webmaster requests you give feedback when you see:
- missing content
- outdated content
- broken links
- links that point to kpbsd.k12.ak.us (if you can share the URL in the troubleshooting, that makes it easier to find them throughout the site)
- if you can’t find a link you are familiar with, try Quick Links.
- What do you think is awesome?
*Next steps
KPBSD staff have been previewing the website since early December, and now community partners and families are invited to dive in and continue refining and bug bashing during this soft reveal over winter break.
The rollout to the public will be in early January. We anticipate that later in January the current www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us site will disappear, and point to the new site at www.KPBSD.org if all goes well.
Thank you to everyone who has worked on this multiyear redesign project!
Posted in KPBSD District Stories by .
Dec 21
17
KPBSD Winter Break
December 20, 2021 – January 3, 2022*
Staff returns January 3, 2022; students return January 4, 2022
Dear KPBSD Staff and families,
As we head into winter break, I wish you Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!
Thank you to all of our staff for what you have done to keep our schools open and our students learning in person. I know that it has been exhausting and everyone has stepped up to fill many roles as we have faced staffing and substitute shortages. You have done so much for our students and communities. Thank you!
Thank you to our parents and guardians for all you have done to support your children and our staff. You are why the Kenai is a special place to live, work, and to educate our children. The lift has been hard for all of us, and you have been there with our staff to make our schools work. You are appreciated!
May your holiday season be filled with warm memories and joy!
Thank you,
Superintendent Clayton Holland
*variance calendar for Nanwalek and Port Graham schools
December 16, 2021
Dear KPBSD Parents and Guardians,
I’m writing to give you advance planning notice about three additional early release days for students that will begin on Friday, January 21, 2022. In addition, previously scheduled Wednesday early release days will shift to Fridays.
While schools across the nation struggled to stay open this fall, I am extremely proud of our staff whose dedication kept schools open, buses running on schedule, and meals served, every day. More than 1,000 KPBSD employees continue to step up and help when we have staffing and substitute shortages. I am proud of everything we have accomplished together, and especially thankful to you as parents and guardians who made sacrifices to adapt, and keep our students learning.
This has been a heavy lift for everyone. I’ve found there’s a significant need moving forward to plan, collaborate, review data, and design targeted instruction to meet the individual needs of our students and address the learning gaps many are experiencing. We need to catch up with student contact updates and deep cleaning of our schools. Therefore, after talking with our principals, school board, and hearing from staff, KPBSD is adding three additional 90-minute early release for student days in the third quarter, and moving early release days to Friday from the previously scheduled Wednesday dates.
The first Friday early release day for students is Friday, January 21, 2022. From then until spring break, there will be a 90-minute early release student day every week, except for already scheduled parent-teacher conferences or inservice days.
I know that childcare is a concern for some of you. Boys & Girls Club will open early during the afternoon on these Fridays. I’ve instructed principals to work with families who have no other options for childcare during the three additional early release days. Your school will have more information after we return from winter break.
Near Spring Break in March, we will evaluate the value of the student early release days through staff and parent surveys, and reviewing student data.
The primary purpose of the early release for students and maximum day for staff is to provide:
- Time to plan instruction: the learning gap between students is larger and additional time is needed to plan to meet those needs
- Time for collaboration: grade level and subject matter teams, special education, intervention
- Time to communicate with parents and other important stakeholders
- Time to review student data in a manner that guides instruction
- Time for secretaries to catch up on data entry
- Time for nurses to input data without disruption
- Time to clean buildings
- Time for trainings that staff haven’t been able to engage in
- Time available for students to address individual instructional needs (make-up tests, receive targeted intervention, etc…)
*The KPBSD districtwide calendar and the school variance calendars are available on the KPBSD.org website. The changes to the main KPBSD calendar are as follows:
KPBSD 2021-2022 Calendar Additions and Revisions:
- Wednesday, 1/19/22, Early Release moved to Friday, 1/21/22
- Friday, 1/28/22, Early Release
- Friday, 2/4/22, Early Release
- Friday, 2/11/22, Early Release
- Wednesday, 2/16/22, Early Release cancelled; Friday, 2/18/22, is Parent–Teacher Conferences
- Friday 2/25/22, Early Release
- Friday 3/4/22, Previously Scheduled Inservice–no school for students
- Variance calendar for Kachemak-Selo, Razdolna, and Voznesenka schools
We recognize families will need to make arrangements on the additional three early release dates, and thank everyone for the willingness to help our KPBSD schools improve through these early-release dates. Kindly contact your school principal with questions.
Sincerely,
Clayton Holland
Superintendent of Schools
UPDATE 12/10/21 7:00 AM – Moose Pass School will be closed on December 10, 2021.
All previously announced two-hour delay starts are in effect, with the exception of Moose Pass school which is closed.
UPDATE 12/9/21 9:00 PM – Cooper Landing and Hope School will open with a two-hour late start on December 10, 2021.
This original message (5:00 PM) has been updated to reflect this change.
►TWO-HOUR Delay Start ALERT: Friday, December 10, 2021
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District schools in the Anchor Point, Cooper Landing, Homer area*, Hope, Nikolaevsk, Ninilchik, Moose Pass and Seward area** will open with a TWO-HOUR DELAY START on Friday, December 10, 2021, in response to weather and road conditions.
If weather and road conditions warrant a full closure for any schools, that announcement will be made about 7:00 AM. If you don’t hear anything, the two-hour delay start remains in effect.
Pre-K sessions—both morning and afternoon—at these schools are cancelled during a two-hour delay start.
A two hour delay means that morning buses run two hours later than normal, school begins two hours later than normal, and Pre-K sessions are cancelled. The school day ends at the normal time.
*TWO-HOUR DELAY START for these Southern Kenai Peninsula schools
- Chapman School
- Connections Homeschool
- Fireweed Academy
- Homer Flex School
- Homer High School
- Homer Middle School
- Kachemak Selo School
- McNeil Canyon Elementary School
- Nikolaevsk School
- Ninilchik School
- Paul Banks Elementary School
- Razdolna School
- Voznesenka School
- West Homer Elementary School
Nanwalek, Port Graham, and Susan B. English schools will open on a normal schedule.
**TWO HOUR DELAY START for these Eastern Kenai Peninsula schools
- Cooper Landing School
- Hope School
- Moose Pass School – CLOSED for SNOW DAY on December 10, 2021
- Seward Elementary School
- Seward High School
- Seward Middle School
Cooper Landing and Hope schools will open on a normal schedule.
Be safe. Parents and guardians, if school is open and you decide to keep your child at home based on weather and road conditions near you, absences or late arrivals will be excused.
►TWO-HOUR Delay Start ALERT
KPBSD schools in the Anchor Point, Homer area*, and Ninilchik will open with a TWO-HOUR DELAY START on Thursday, December 9, 2021, in response to weather and road conditions.
If weather and road conditions warrant a full closure for any schools, that announcement will be made about 7:00 AM. If you don’t hear anything, the two-hour delay start remains in effect. All Pre-K sessions—both morning and afternoon—at these schools are cancelled during a two-hour delay start.
A two hour delay means that morning buses run two hours later than normal, school begins two hours later than normal, and Pre-K sessions are cancelled. The school day ends at the normal time.
*TWO-HOUR Delay Start for these Southern Kenai Peninsula schools
- Chapman School
- Connections Homeschool
- Fireweed Academy
- Homer Flex School
- Homer High School
- Homer Middle School
- Kachemak Selo School
- McNeil Canyon Elementary School
- Nikolaevsk School
- Ninilchik School
- Paul Banks Elementary School
- Razdolna School
- Voznesenka School
- West Homer Elementary School
Nanwalek, Port Graham, and Susan B. English schools will open on a normal schedule.
Be safe. Parents and guardians, if school is open and you decide to keep your child at home based on weather and road conditions near you, absences or late arrivals will be excused.
Posted in KPBSD District Stories by .
Dec 21
7
Snow Day in Seward
UPDATE! The Two-Hour Delay is Cancelled and it’s now a Snow Day – no school.
►SNOW DAY ALERT
KPBSD schools in Moose Pass and Seward will be CLOSED on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, due to weather and road conditions.
School closure – Seward Area
- Moose Pass School
- Seward Elementary School
- Seward High School
- Seward Middle School
Cooper Landing and Hope schools will open on a normal schedule.