ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A recent study suggests 45% of students in Alaska are considered “chronically absent,” but what do education experts need to change?
Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Deena Bishop presented a report on attendance to the State Board of Education earlier this month.
This week, Alaska superintendents were informed e-learning days “should not be expected to count as school days,” according to a communication from Bishop’s office.
Icy conditions caused Mat-Su Borough School District to call a school closure Wednesday when they announced there would be no e-learning and school was canceled entirely. A district spokesperson confirmed this decision was in connection to Bishop’s communication and comments made during her presentation.
Anchorage School District has not yet announced a change in their approach to e-learning, however, a representative told Alaska’s News Source it’s “currently being discussed, with the intention of making a decision in the near future.”
In her letter to superintendents, Bishop addressed the use of e-learning days, stating they were “valuable during the pandemic but are currently not aligned with a focused approach to learning.”
“Virtual school days, often utilized for inclement weather, do not adequately meet students’ needs,” Bishop said. “Unless prior approval is granted for long-term emergencies, virtual days should not replace in-person instruction for ‘brick-and-mortar’ schools.
“Families who have opted for in-person learning deserve the full 170 school days required by statute.”
Bishop said in an interview with Alaska’s News Source that e-learning days have never been officially permitted to replace in-person instruction.
“Districts were not requesting those to be used as learning days, they were just assuming that they had permission. Most likely because of pandemic times, that literally was how we had learning,” Bishop said. “Now that we have school back, we have our buildings open, those are not going to count.”
In Alaska, schools are required to host 180 days of school; 10 of which are not “student contact” days, where students are in the classroom. Schools are required to provide 170 days of learning to students per state law.
According to Bishop, in past years schools have had budgeted for inclement weather with “two to three max a year.” She said with e-learning use, she believes the number has risen to roughly nine a year.
In her communications with superintendents, Bishop stated there would be no change in policy, but rather no policy allowed a swap for e-learning in the instance of inclement weather.
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