Dear ASD Families, Staff, and Community, 

This month’s topic is all about safety, preparedness, and wellness – topics that touch on many aspects of school and community life as we head into the colder months. 

With winter quickly approaching, our team is pursuing options to lease three front-end loaders and two graders to support our aging fleet of heavy machinery. These and other measures will strengthen our preparedness for winter.

We also encourage families to prepare for the possibility of remote learning during inclement weather. While we understand this could present challenges, remote learning remains an important tool to maintain continuity of learning when severe conditions prevent in-person attendance. 

On the topic of preparedness, we want to call attention to several upcoming calendar events which affect the school day: 

• October 14, Indigenous Peoples Day - no school

• October 23 and 24 parent/teacher conference days; 

  • Elementary students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. 
  • Middle school students will be dismissed at 1:00 p.m. 

• October 18, student release grading day 

• October 25, student release staff professional development day

• November 5, election day, remote learning day for students

As we enter the cold and flu season, we’ll have details coming soon about flu vaccine clinics that will be available throughout the District. You can find information on the Healthcare Services webpage on “How sick is too sick?” and guidelines for when to keep your child home.

We remain committed to student safety and well-being. The Anchorage School District strives to provide a safe and respectful learning environment. The STOPit app allows for easy reporting of incidents involving harassment, intimidation, and bullying, with the option for anonymous submissions. More information can be found on our Reporting Concerns webpage.

Lastly, I’d like to end on a high note: three of our schools— Alpenglow Elementary School, Aquarian Charter School, and Northern Lights ABC School—have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools! This is a tremendous honor, and I couldn’t be more proud of the students, staff, and families who have worked hard to achieve this distinction.

Thank you for being engaged and for helping keep our schools safe and welcoming for all.

Sincerely,

Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.
Superintendent,
Anchorage School District

Tuesday, November 5th 2024

Election Day is just around the corner on November 5. While ASD initially planned for in-person instruction on this day, given some recent developments and observations, the Administration has determined to shift November 5 to a Remote Learning Day. 

A number of key points were considered when making this adjustment: 

• Sixty-five of our schools will serve as voting locations on election day, including all secondary schools.
• It is not possible in many of our buildings to have a separate entry point to an isolated area of the school for voting. Some elections will be held in areas that are only accessible by going through the main entrance and using hallways where students are learning. In a high turnout election, this could create operations issues and bottlenecks for voters.
• While the recent primary election had a relatively low turnout, it presented safety and operational challenges at multiple locations. As this is a Presidential election year, ASD would need to suspend or compromise its standard visitor management and safety protocols to accommodate the voters and increased vehicular traffic which will enter our campuses to cast ballots, thus elevating our level of risk.
• Though a minority of our schools will not serve as voting locations, many of our families and staff have students that attend multiple schools. Additionally, all of our neighborhoods will be impacted by increased vehicular and foot traffic on election day. For these reasons, all schools will shift to remote learning on Election Day. 

For your awareness, our neighbors in the Mat-Su School District will also not host students on election day.

This decision was not made lightly, but safety is our highest priority in ASD. After reviewing all the options, this is our best path to maintain continuity of learning while making the voting experience as smooth as possible for the thousands of people who will depend on our school buildings to cast ballots.

Sincerely,

Jharrett M. Bryantt, Ed.D.
Superintendent

August 26, 2024

Dear Anchorage School District Families and Staff,

Welcome to the 2024-25 school year! We are thrilled to have students back in our classrooms and are so grateful for the trust and support of our families, teachers, and staff. The first few days have been off to a strong start, and I want to take a moment to share some highlights and important updates with you.

First, we’ve made notable progress in filling critical roles, including transportation staff, paraeducators, and food service staff. While we still have more work to do, our collaborations with employee bargaining units have made a positive impact, helping us move a step forward in retaining and recruiting wonderful team members.

To ensure we are continuously improving, I, along with other District staff, have been visiting schools across the District to hear directly from parents, students, teachers, and principals. Your feedback is essential as we work to address any challenges and create the best possible experience for our students.

I’m also excited to share that, thanks to our recently approved 2024-25 budget amendments, we will be making enhancements to security measures to improve the safety of our buildings. In addition, we will be implementing the Raptor Visitor Management system Districtwide this semester as a new measure designed to further secure our schools. 

Our staggered start times this year have received positive feedback, particularly from high school communities, where students from the class of 2028 were welcomed to their new campus a day before their sophomore, junior, and senior counterparts. This Freshman Academy first day of school event included field games, orientation activities, and team-building challenges to allow freshmen the opportunity to meet their teachers and get to know their school. You can watch more about the ASD Freshman Academy first day of school here. Thank you to our staff involved in this special day for setting such a positive tone for the year.

I’d also like to officially welcome our youngest learners to ASD! Our preschool and kindergarten students began their school year last week, making it an official full house!  

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our families, employees, and students for making these first few days successful. Your patience and enthusiasm have been key as we kicked off the new year with many new initiatives, including the new school start times and the staggered start to the school year. Your ongoing patience and trust are appreciated as we navigate these first weeks of school and the changes taking place. 

We’re ready for an amazing school year, and I look forward to working together with you to make it a success!

Sincerely,
Dr. Jharrett Bryantt
Superintendent
Anchorage School District