The mask issue has been a flashpoint for some parents who wrote and testified to education leaders that they would enroll or de-enroll their children based on the policy.
At Boreal Sun Charter School, an academic policy committee voted for universal masking.
Chancellor Dan White said in a letter to UAF employees that he and President Pat Pitney are discussing a “broader application of requirements” for the vaccine.
The 5-2 vote came after parents and physicians pleaded with education leaders for weeks as new Covid-19 cases increase across Alaska, filling hospitals.
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development released the results Tuesday with a caution that too few students participated in assessments this year to make meaningful comparisons with previous years.
School board President Tim Doran said it's time to reexamine optional masking due to the current status of virus transmission, the importance of maintaining in-person learning and because of public outcry — both pro and con.
Rebecca Hurbi, executive director of Communications, Development & Engagement for the Fairbanks school district, said the extra protocols are in accordance with their Covid-19 plan.
A shortage of school bus drivers is causing problems for districts both locally and in the Lower 48.
Forty-seven students and staff have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since school started on Aug. 18, according to an email to families by Karen Melin, acting superintendent of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District.
"We will be able to quickly put shots in arms," said U.S. Army Alaska media relations chief John Pennell.
