The Matanuska-Susitna School District has dropped its mask requirement for students and staff in the schools when a school is in the “Yellow Zone” of infection, which is the moderate level.
Currently, the majority of the schools in the borough are in the Yellow Zone, with just 12 schools in the “Green Zone” of low infection. The change goes into effect on Monday.
View all schools in the Mat-Su and their status in the Covid mitigation recommendations here. Note that the plan has not been updated to reflect the district’s new direction announced Friday afternoon.
According to a note to parents, while the current prevalent variant of Covid is more transmissible than previous variants, Omicron “may represent a step toward more normalcy for our district. Omicron is simultaneously less severe for most people who catch the disease despite being more transmissible. A more transmissible variant that is less serious has the potential to increase the general population’s immune response to future infections,” the district’s superintendent wrote.
Superintendent Randy Traini noted that there is much resistance in the community to the mask recommendations, and said that Covid vaccines are widely available for most students and staff. He said that those who have tested positive for Covid can return to campuses after Day Five of their infection being diagnosed, and will need to mask up for five days after they return.
“On Monday, the World Health Organization announced that they anticipated an end to the emergency phase of the pandemic and that the Omicron variant ‘offers a plausible hope for stabilization and normalization,'” Traini wrote. “Further, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, offered this week that while new variants are likely to emerge, the combination of vaccination, new drug therapies, testing, and masks during surges could lead us into a time where COVID, particularly the Omicron variant, is ‘essentially integrated into the general respiratory infections that we have learned to live with.'”
“While in a Yellow Operational Zone, we will strongly urge staff and students to wear masks but they will no longer be required,” Traini wrote. “As always, the HAT [Health Advisory Team] team will continue to monitor the COVID environment and respond accordingly. Hopefully, we can continue on a trajectory towards a more normal school experience; however, if future variants warrant, the HAT team is prepared to reinstate any and all mitigation practices if needed.”
In the fall, the Mat-Su School District adopted a campus-by-campus approach to Covid mitigation, unlike the one-size-fits-all campus approach in Anchorage, where masking has been required in recent weeks. In Anchorage, one parent has reported that a teacher has been taping the masks to children’s faces.
Why is our governor asleep at the wheel? He should end masks in ALL SCHOOLS, RIGHT NOW. He is choosing to torture Alaska’s children, out of some ridiculous “principle” of “local control.” How is he considered a conservative?
The thing is, he literally CANNOT override the borough government. The constitution forbids it. And before you complain about that, consider that the constitution would likewise have prevented a governor Walker or Gara from instituting a statewide mask mandate. It’s the tradeoff you get for having more local control.
He let the cities handle it whoch puts the onus on them.
The Covidian (and Covidiot) narratives are cracking and crumbling, as they must when faced with the light of truth, rationality and sanity.
It’s time for Anchorage school district to follow the Valleys example!!!!!
Unfortunately we have allowed our economy to tank and children’s education to be woefully diminished by adhering to the results of the PCR test which was never designed for that type of diagnostics. The PCR test is notorious for false positives. The tyrannical requirement for children to wear masks all day long The start-stop of schools being in session based on Covid case count and believing any learning has been achieved is delusional. We will find out how badly we have damages this generation in the years to come.
Way past time for Dunleavy to step up to the plate and demand that his Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Zink, end ALL mask mandates in the State. Follow the science, not the Cult Covidian!
How stupid can they be? Really really stupid
I know, right, Wiseman?
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Everyone with any sense has known from the beginning that mass public mask wearing, much less coercive mask mandates, is unscientific, ineffective, counterproductive, dehumanizing and just plain stupid, as you say, so the Mat-Su schools (nor any other) should never have instituted those mandates at any time.
Wiseman, respectfully at this point I believe most people have had Covid, whatever variety. There are many, who simply never bought the hype and never got tested, but probably had it. Since neither vaccination nor masks actually work, it is high time to end this misery for our kids, who were NEVER really a high risk group anyway. I agree since the state is in charge of education a ban on mandatory masks should have gone out months ago.
Not surprising while three flaming liberals are facing a recall vote. This is matsu moment to show all of us outside how deep is your red?
A brief light of sanity. Everyone should refer to John Hopkins report released this week about all the insane policies many of which Anchorage is still following .
‘https://thejewishvoice.com › 2022/02
Massive Johns Hopkins study: Lockdowns, masks, closures did NOT reduce death – The Jewish Voice
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