Icy roads Friday morning caused the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District to announce a two-hour delayed start or a shift to remote learning for many schools.
Eleven schools in the district’s regions 4 and 5 in Willow, Wasilla, Big Lake, Houston and Meadow Lakes transitioned to remote learning on Friday.
Glacier View School in Sutton and those in the Susitna Valley began school as scheduled, and remaining schools had a two-hour delayed start.
Freezing rain hit Anchorage and the Mat-Su this week, causing dangerous driving conditions Thursday throughout the region. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory that was extended until noon Friday. The advisory warned that another round of freezing rain overnight and into Friday would create slick roads.
The Alaska Department of Transportation described driving conditions as difficult on many major Southcentral roads Friday morning. Roads had a glaze of ice and some stretches of road had black ice, the department said. Roads in Anchorage were described as being in fair condition, with icy patches and slush.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District apologized in a post on social media just before 6 a.m. for a late notification about the delay and said the district’s mass messaging system was down.