Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The first positive case of COVID-19 in Alaska was announced on March 12 by Governor Dunleavy. Since then, Alaska’s case count has grown to thirteen as of this afternoon.

In response, Governor Dunleavy released two health mandates impacting Alaska’s schools last week:

Health Mandate 1: All scheduled public school days between March 16 and March 27 will be non-student contact days in which students will not be attending school. All after school activities will be suspended during this time. DEED issued a memo directing school districts to use the non-student contact days to plan and prepare for remote-delivered schooling, should the need arise.

Health Mandate 2: Residential school programs shall begin the process of returning students to their families and home communities. The process shall be completed by March 27. DEED’s follow up memo clarifies that residential school staff will work toward distance delivery plans to provide continued education through the end of the school year. As part of the Health Mandate 2, libraries, archives, and museums shall be closed to the public March 17 through March 31.

In an effort to provide information, resources, and leadership to support educators during this challenging time, the IEE Division's School Recognition & Support team has launched a Teaching & Learning Support website. The site is a work in progress and will continue to evolve and grow over the coming days and weeks. DEED will be adding to and updating the site daily. Our goal is to provide educators with relevant resources as they prepare for possible school closures related to the COVID-19 situation. We invite educators to contribute their great ideas through the site's submission form so that we can share the good work of so many teachers statewide as we face this unprecedented challenge together. Check it out at aklearns.org.

DEED’s Child Nutrition Team was one of the first in the nation to obtain a waiver from USDA to ensure districts could provide meals for students in need during the COVID-19 crisis. They have worked tirelessly to make adjustments so they can effectively work with districts to create plans and obtain waivers. New guidance, FAQs, and the waiver for non-congregate feeding sites have recently been added to DEED’s COVID-19 website.

DEED’s Assessment Team has been having regular conversations internally and with the U.S Department of Education (USDOE) concerning assessment issues related to our current situation. Today the USDOE announced that it would provide flexibility to all states regarding the assessment and accountability requirements under the ESEA. Alaska is requesting a waiver for the 2019-2020 school year of the assessment requirements in section 1111(b)(2) of the ESEA, the accountability and school identification requirements in sections 1111(c)(4) and 1111(d)(2)(C)-(D), and certain reporting requirements related to assessments and accountability in section 1111(h). Through these waivers, Alaska would not need to administer its statewide assessments to all students, to make new accountability determinations, to identify new schools for support and improvement, or to provide data on state and local report cards for assessment and accountability information.

DEED’s Special Education Team has been presenting informational webinars addressing questions about the implications for students with disabilities during the time of school closures.

DEED continues to update its webpage specific to COVID-19 frequently to provide schools with information and resources as they take steps to prepare for and mitigate exposure to COVID-19. Please check the website often for updates and information.

If you have any questions or concerns relating to COVID-19 prevention and preparedness in schools, please visit DEED’s website or contact todd.brocious@alaska.gov.