Juneau Schools

As national dialogues on race continue to evolve, the Juneau school district is grappling with how to best address race and equity in the classroom.

According to the plan, students will be physically in the classroom four days a week for half days.

Like many around the country, Juneau’s recent high school graduates have had to navigate online classes, separation from their peers and a socially-distant graduation ceremony without precedent.

But even with a higher local contribution than last year, the school district is still getting less funding overall.

This week, the class of 2020 is walking the stage one grad at a time with their short list of up to four guests as their audience.

Katie McKenna, a senior at Juneau-Douglas High School in Juneau, said ending her school year this way is a bit of a shock. Her district hadn’t even had spring break yet when school closure began.

The state of Alaska has entered into a $525,000 contract with Florida Virtual School, and the head of the statewide teachers’ union does not support it.

A memo from the state of Alaska asks that child care facilities remain open if they can do so safely.

Free meals will be available at elementary and high school sites throughout the district.

After-school activities will also be suspended. Plans for residential boarding schools are still being evaluated.