Juneau’s elementary school students will soon be returning to school for four full days each week, district officials announced late Thursday.<\/p>\n
This schedule replaces a prior plan for expanded learning that called for students to attend four half-days from early April through the end of the school year. The newly expanded school day will begin April 5 at several schools with the remaining buildings expanding beginning April 12.<\/p>\n
“I realize this is a quick change, but we are very excited to be making a move in this direction, increasing our in-person learning time for kids,” Superintendent Bridget Weiss said in an email to parents.<\/p>\n
District officials said that updated bus information would be available Friday afternoon. Families that need more time to plan for the new schedule should contact the school their child attends to discuss options.<\/p>\n
Due to COVID-19, in-person school has not been in regular session since March 2020. In January, some students started returning to in-person learning on a limited schedule while participating in distance learning. Students are currently finishing a week of virtual learning instituted to facilitate quarantine for families that traveled over spring break.<\/p>\n
“As we all start to emerge from this pandemic, increasing instruction time for our students and expanding in-person attendance is an important step toward academic and social\/emotional recovery,” Weiss said in the email.<\/p>\n