The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District announced on Sunday that all indoor sport competitions will be postponed until the end of the month as cases statewide and within the district continue to surge.
[Alaska is approaching 4 weeks of triple-digit daily COVID-19 case counts in an unprecedented surge]
The decision primarily impacts volleyball and swimming, which were scheduled to conclude near the end of the month. The district said any indoor sports scheduled to end by the end of the month will not be rescheduled.
Indoor sport seasons that stretch beyond the end of the month will be reevaluated as the date approaches, and the district said families will be notified by Oct. 30 at the latest, according to the statement.
Sports may continue on an intramural basis, with competitions happening within a single school community, and the district wrote that teams may continue to work together on conditioning and skill development.
The district has been holding athletic training, practices and competitions against other schools within the district since late June. Many of the earlier season sports were held outside.
The Alaska School Activities Association canceled all state championship events scheduled to take place before January because of the ongoing pandemic.
Mat-Su schools have continued in-person learning during the pandemic. The district said the pause on indoor sports is intended to slow the spread of COVID-19 so students can continue with in-person classes. Twelve schools in the district have had confirmed cases of COVID-19.
According to the announcement, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District is one of the largest on the West Coast to maintain in-person learning. Anchorage schools are preparing to resume in-person classes for some grades next month. Indoor sports are still happening within the Anchorage School District.
The state health department considers the Mat-Su region to be at a high alert level because of widespread community transmission. By Sunday, there were 11.48 cases per 100,000 people. When communities are on a high alert level, the health department warns there may be many undetected cases.
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