Our board is appreciative of the respectful communication we received from HBSD families and the Haines community regarding COVID-19 mitigations. We are proud to be one of very few districts in Alaska with no school closures during the pandemic. Because the Alaska Department of Education urges us to treat COVID-19 cases in accordance with CDC protocols, our mask policy has played a critical role in keeping students in the classroom when there are positive cases at school.
Looking to the future, the school board unanimously approved a guideline for being mask-optional at our January 4th meeting. Masks will become optional at school when there are: (a) No school related cases (students/staff who have been at school during the contagious period) and (b) Alaska Public Health has cleared all known cases of COVID-19 identified as “community transmission” in Haines (cases where the source of infection is unknown).
Each month, our board has formal meetings (typically the first Tuesday of the month, our next meeting is Tuesday, March 1st) where we discuss and establish district policies and monthly working sessions to prepare for upcoming decisions. We will continue to revisit our pandemic mitigation plan at each board meeting, where public comment is also welcome. Our board members are available by email (find our addresses on hbsd.net) and our superintendent, Roy Getchell, is a great source of information and an open ear for comments/questions. We will continue a path towards normalcy in the coming weeks by working together for our school community.
Shelly Sloper
HBSD school board Chair