Open gym is looking to make a comeback on the lower Kuskokwim. On Jan. 27, the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) school board voted unanimously to allow community use of school gyms, as long as the local advisory school board and the local government in each community also approve.
LKSD Superintendent Kimberly Hankins confirmed in an email to KYUK that if local governments and advisory school boards approve, community members can once again play basketball in open gyms hosted at schools. She also said that school gyms could once again be used for community gatherings like funerals, feasts, and dances. She said that requirements for masks, vaccinations, and capacity limitations will depend on local ordinances.
In Bethel, that would mean community members would have to wear masks at open gym, although that could change during the Feb. 7 Bethel City Council meeting. There are no Bethel ordinances that require people be vaccinated to enter public spaces, or that spaces be limited to a certain capacity.
Bethel Regional High School Principal Alicia Miner said that she is waiting for the Bethel Advisory School Board to provide guidance before opening her school’s gym to the community. The Bethel Advisory School Board has not yet announced when it will meet next.
The LKSD school board’s decision to allow community use of school gyms comes a week after the board relaxed a number of other COVID-19 policies, like increasing the number of spectators allowed at home sports events. This comes in the midst of a huge spike in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant. Hospitalizations have also seen a large increase in the last few weeks.
