- Anchorage School District
- Current Hot Topics
- Make-up Weather Closure Days
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Alaska schools are required to have 180 days of instruction as defined in Alaska Statute 14.03.030(2).
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- January 30th to March 9th: 30 minutes will be added to the end of the instructional day (Restores 3 days of instruction)
- February 22nd and 23rd: Full instructional days in lieu of the scheduled parent-teacher conferences (Restores 1 day of instruction)
- February 24th: Full instructional day. That would be in lieu of the professional development day (Restores 1 day of instruction)
Remote learning will play a central role in the district’s inclement weather strategy in the future.
For additional questions, please contact your school administrators.
Things to note:
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- All bus transportation will have drop off times of exactly 30 minutes after the current drop off time.
- The 30 minutes added to the instructional day will mean changes to bell schedules for secondary students.
This may impact planning for things like doctor appointments, pick-up, etc. - For after-school activities, the District is working with rental facilities and officials to adjust scheduled activities, competitions, and practices.
FAQs
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What happens if there is another weather closure day?Â
For future weather closures:Principals and teachers are prepared to implement remote learning if schools close for in-person learning again this school year due to weather. Plans to pivot to remote learning were created before winter break. Secondary teachers are ready to implement learning through Canvas and elementary schools came up with their own plans and have already shared out to their families what remote learning will look like. -
Will my student's bus stop time change?
All bus stops times will change to be exactly 30 minutes later than the current drop off time. Bus route information will be updated in Q ParentConnection today on 1/27.
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Can I sign my student out of school at the original release time?
If you choose to remove your student from school before the school day ends, you will need to go through the standard early release procedures for your school. It must be noted that students will be responsible for any content missed during their absence.
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Why can’t ASD add extra days to the end of the school calendar instead?
ASD gathered input from a variety of stakeholders and looked at many different options for making up the snow days prior to making a final decision on what proposal to bring forward to the School Board for approval. An important consideration in the final decision was minimizing the disruption to staff and family schedules, while also restoring lost instructional time for students.
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How does this decision affect after school activities?
In most cases, extracurricular sports and activities will be pushed back by 30 minutes during this period. Because activity programs differ significantly from each other, please contact your coach or advisor for information on how your student’s specific program will be affected during the window when days will be extended.
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Will pay for substitutes and bus drivers be adjusted?
Substitute teachers, who are compensated at a flat rate per day, will receive an additional $25 per day during the extended day period to compensate them for working the additional 30 minutes.
Bus drivers are hourly employees. If the extended day requires bus drivers to work additional time, they will be compensated based on their hourly rate. Bus drivers are eligible for overtime if incurred.
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Has ASD contacted APD and the MOA about the potential impact of this change on local traffic patterns?
Yes, we have coordinated with our partners at the Anchorage Police Department.
Media
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- Lex Yelverton, KTUU " ASD: Future snow days this year to be remote learning days" Published: February 13, 2023
- Lex Yelverton, KTUU "Anchorage students and parents react to 30 extra minutes added to school days" Published: January 30, 2023
- Lex Yelverton, KTUU " Anchorage School Board passes plan to make up for snow days" Published: January 24, 2023
- Morgan Krakow, ADN " Anchorage school days will get longer to make up for snow days" Published: January 24, 2023
- Lauren Maxwell, KTUU " ASD moves forward with snow day make-up plan" Published: January 13, 2023
Preschool
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Families can choose to pick up at the regular dismissal time, if needed.
- 3-Year-Old Sped Developmental and Communications Programs
- AM Session: (no change) 8:15-10:45am
- M-Th for 3yo Developmental
- M/T or W/Th for Communication
- PM Session: (30-min extension) 12:15-3:15pm
- M-Th for 3yo Developmental
- M/T or W/Th for Communication
- *This includes Bartlett 3yo PM session
- AM Session: (no change) 8:15-10:45am
- 4-Year-Old Sped Developmental and Gened Programs (30-min extension)
- 11:30am-4:00pm
- M-F
- Exceptions
- Bartlett 4yo Sped program remains unchanged
- 4yo Developmental remains 8:15am-12:15pm M-F
- King Tech General Education remains unchanged
- 8:30am-1:30pm, M-Th
- Bartlett 4yo Sped program remains unchanged
- 3-Year-Old Sped Developmental and Communications Programs
Elementary School Makeup Schedule
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All Elementary Schools will end at 4:00 p.m. Please see below for exceptions.
Exceptions:
All bus transportation will have drop off times of exactly 30 minutes after the current drop off time.- Aurora dismissal: 4:15
- Chugach dismissal: 3:20
- Girdwood dismissal: 3:30
- Orion dismissal: 4:15
- Northern Lights dismissal: 3:15
Secondary School Make Up Schedule
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Alternative Programs Schedule Alaska Middle College School AMCS Benny Benson Secondary School Benson King Tech High School KTHS Polaris K-12 Polaris SAVE High School SAVE Steller Secondary Steller Whaley School Whaley Middle Schools Begich Middle School BMS Central Middle School CMSS Clark Middle School CMS Goldenview Middle School GVMS Gruening Middle School GMS; Advisory Hanshew Middle School HMS Mears Middle School MMS Mirror Lake Middle School MLMS Romig Middle School RMS Wendler Middle School WMS High Schools Bartlett High School BHS Bettye Davis East High School BDEHS Chugiak High School CHS Dimond High School DHS Eagle River High School ERHS Service High School SHS South High School SAHS West High School WHS