A Dec. 15 notice from Anchorage School District Superintendent Deena Bishop notified parents and the community that public schools will go mask optional after students return from Christmas break.
“Transmission numbers in Anchorage are trending down and the Municipality of Anchorage’s (MOA) emergency order has been lifted,” Bishop said via the district’s website. “Our own COVID-19 testing now shows a downward trend and cases in schools have remained low as well.”
Bishop acknowledged that the Omicron variant “may have left us with unanswered questions,” but added that the district has “done quite a bit to be prepared for life with COVID.”
The district has enforced its mask mandate throughout the year, despite the fact that children show very mild symptoms from contracting COVID and not a single Alaskan under age 20 has died from the virus.
Bishop, however, took the opportunity to highlight that the district has made the vaccine available for children, as well as boosters, through what she called “large-scale vaccine clinics throughout the month of November, during which more than 3,000 vaccines were administered.”
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“Therefore, I am confident that ASD is able to transition to parent-informed masking when we return to school on January 3,” she said. “It means parents will consider the risk levels in their family and decide for themselves if they want their child attending school wearing a mask.”
When given the option to mask during the past summer school programs, Bishop noted that about 40% of staff and students chose to cover up, while the vast majority went mask free.
The mask mandate has raised considerable controversy in Anchorage, spilling over into school board meetings and the wider public.
She said the district plans to keep its “strong layers of mitigation,” including rapid testing, frequent hand washing, social distancing when possible and additional sanitation. Additionally, students who ride the bus will still be required to follow federal mandates for public transportation.
Bishop ended her letter by warning that the district may return to mandated masking if it deems it necessary.
7 Comments
I bet ha a dollar they reinstate it before Jan. 3.
“It means parents will consider the risk levels in their family and decide for themselves if they want their child attending school wearing a mask.”
What don’t they get WE decide not you, woke Deena Bishop
Oh, they get it.
They just get to decide when, where, and how we decide, that’s all.
They have degrees and follow science. Therefore, we must defer to them. But they are magnanimous. Lest we forget,
“. . .I am confident that ASD is able to transition to parent-informed masking when we return to school on January 3,” she said. “It means parents will consider the risk levels in their family and decide for themselves if they want their child attending school wearing a mask.”
Magnanimity is a precious totalitarian virtue. We must appreciate that it’s directed at us . . .
About time. These tested (positive) kids have RVP (respiratory virus pneumonia) not C19 … from wearing masks. Masks are devastating to their mental an physical health. Please. Stop masking them and stop and stop testing them. Let out kids breathe and stop making them scared because you are ill-
informed. And for the LOVE of GOD do NOT give them the shot!!
About time. Masks never worked in the first place. Wearing a face mask for preventing a viral pandemic is just like putting a “Hello Kitty” Band-Aid on my 3-year-olds imaginary boo-boo. It makes people feel good without really doing anything. Only liberals could have fallen for this scam.
Thank you.
Miss bishop is super intendant with a super large brain who gets paid a super large salary who oversees a super bloated budget spent on super stupid ideas that get super crappy results to achieve a super perverse child. Miss bishop shares stories from the super gay porn book to the children to groom the for the super charged oversexed population who deceive voters and becomes a super aggressive board who’s overprotective attitude is to prevent a super spreader event by wrapping children’s faces to keep their identities hidden and force people to be super scared of what ever they deem dangerous.
Thank you miss bishop for all you do
Your super