Three-quarters of Mat-Su schools in "medium risk" category; no mask requirement in place

About three-quarters of schools in the Mat-Su are in the “Medium Risk” band of the school district’s COVID-19 mitigation plan.

As of Tuesday afternoon, thirty-six schools, including Talkeetna Elementary, Su Valley, and Willow Elementary have been placed in the “yellow” category.  While the school district’s website states that masks may be required at schools in the Medium Risk category, the current list shows that masks are “strongly urged” on all thirty-six campuses.

Mat-Su schools have seen more than 450 new cases of COVID-19 in the last week, about ten percent of the total cases for the entire school year thus far. 

Absence rates are also rising at many schools.  While Northern Valley schools show a maximum absence rate under seventeen percent, some schools, like Palmer and Houston High, show a quarter or more of their students absent.

The MSBSD’s charts are updated regularly, and can be found at matsuk12.us/coronavirus.