The Haines Borough School District Board Aug. 12 unanimously approved back-to-school plans that included universal face coverings for the start of the year and to reassess as risk levels change. The Haines Borough is still considered a high-risk community, said interim manager Alekka Fullerton. As of Wednesday evening, there were 47 active cases that resulted from community spread after an influx of people traveled to Haines to attend the state fair.

The board met Wednesday night after press time to discuss the possibility of altering the start date. Superintendent Roy Getchell told the CVN Wednesday afternoon that he plans to recommend opening the school on schedule on Aug. 24.

“We feel that the mitigations in place are built for situations like this and we can do it safely,” he told the CVN.

The COVID-19 delta variant is much more contagious, according to health experts. While delta cases have increased among children nationwide the symptoms are mostly mild, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Several Haines children under 12 years of age tested positive and were symptomatic in recent weeks. No one has been hospitalized since the spike in cases. In Sitka, 90 children tested positive for the virus in July and 17 more have tested positive through last Wednesday. Some Sitka children had to be treated at the hospital emergency room, according to Public Health Nurse Denise Ewing.

Getchell ultimately recommended requiring face coverings at the beginning of the school year, which starts Aug. 24, for students and staff given the outbreak and because the original plan to require masks only for the elementary school wing was unpopular with the public. Much of the public input at last Thursday’s school board meeting focused on whether to require face coverings.

Kevin Shove said he was opposed to students wearing masks.

“With the recent breakout, my stance hasn’t changed at all,” Shove said. “Actually, I’m more convinced than ever, with the research I’ve done….seeing as (kids are) at low risk, they don’t transmit it. There’s more bad health effects than there would be good ones.”

Kari Eggleston agreed. “I’m in favor of not masking our children at school. I don’t think they’re at a risk from COVID.”

Haines School history teacher and parent Lee Robinson said he doesn’t think kids are meant to be in masks, but that based on the recent spike in cases he understands why the board would approve a temporary mask policy.

“I don’t think it’s healthy emotionally and psychologically,” Robinson said. “It doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t seem right. If we have to enter into the school year with a mask policy, I understand it. I think what would be necessary is to have an exit strategy as quickly as possible.”

First grade teacher Sophia Armstrong supported requiring masks and said her students didn’t have difficulty wearing them last year.

“I hope people think hard about putting their emotions aside and start thinking about what the science says, what the data says because this is not fake,” Armstrong said. “This is not something we can say, ‘I’m done with it. I’m tired of it. I want to move on.’ Some people act like (masking’s) the worst thing in the world. My first graders would go outside and they would refuse to wear a coat but they’d keep their masks on.”

Getchell said that whatever mitigations are in place, it’s important to be able to be flexible as variables change. Under the proposed plan, the school board would decide on masking, testing and traveling protocols on a month-to-month basis. Getchell, with input from a health advisory board, will decide on building-level mitigations including for intrastate travel. He could also tighten mitigation to prevent or address outbreaks. The school would also not be bound to any risk level the borough’s emergency operations center assigns, according to his plan. Haines is currently at a high-risk level and has closed the administration building and public library to the public.

“There are many individual viewpoints and I really do look at all those and read all of those. But what is the prevailing knowledge of things? The things that I’ve read say it is a good idea to gradually remove the mitigations or try those out so you ensure that you’re safe and so you don’t have a big setback.”

Getchell said he’d like to begin the school year with a few less mitigations than last year such as opening the school to the public and allowing students to eat lunch in the lunchroom as opposed to classrooms.

Board member Shelly Sloper said she initially thought that the school could open without requiring masks, but that the recent outbreak changed her opinion.

“I think the consensus among the scientific community is that masks are important. It’s one of many mitigations we’re seeing tonight. The consensus is that the benefits of mask wearing outweigh the risks. There isn’t a lot of scientific information to suggest that there are concerns.”

Petersburg schools will require masks for the first two weeks and will open Aug. 31. Schools in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka are all requiring masks at the start of the year.

Masks in Kenai, Fairbanks and Mat-Su schools are optional.