[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6502915,"mediaKeyId","5689946-d596e769f78857575fab9386282d6a27","parentId",5689946,"title","Board approves several policy changes; tables Pioneer Home pre-K lunch MOA to Sept. 24","audioSeconds",759,"startMs",4690000,"endMs",5449000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5689946-d596e769f78857575fab9386282d6a27&start=4690&end=5449","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5689946-d596e769f78857575fab9386282d6a27/thumbnail_4690000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6502915/Ketchikan-Gateway-Borough/Alaska/Board-approves-several-policy-changes-tables-Pioneer-Home-pre-K-lunch-MOA-to-Sept-24","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6502915-383513a3e8557c0ed8c66a6244753cca/orig.mp4?Expires=1770431263&Signature=hz3WUHscz8sVAx9iOe3PdUJIvRu8LeQ0oYnCEz7fL7KGzLE6vIfQy8Gy8nfELTZ-TcdWMGQvjq7C~ucHpmm3C1WawvdMbBf25lttQFiWJnQI01Yls5NbIwC9XsOY1AUMMzQeMEHVRvooqFqdk43JGdsiw1zAHCIaN48hCDyuKl4~D5Dz37vGMr~Qoq~k9K1DUOcXYTn7O8GZbFwwYTbFJZEYxC84V95ZRGt8NeYPJYGAox2UPLYwnJMBGyYXchVmmGj9qkmbquRGhdLORcB1ieQ~p2rwQPzULKv1Owz9tbPe3jodsZOyegxKQmpPj2hSmEk02EV2zDdOOkjORqE9Rg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ketchikan Gateway Borough","date","2025-08-27T00:00:00Z","article","Ketchikan — The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Board of Education approved a package of policy actions on Aug. 27 and postponed a proposed memorandum of agreement to provide lunch to Pioneer Home pre-K students until its Sept. 24 meeting.

Votes at a glance
- Approve amended agenda (motion recorded): Passed 8–0.
- Approve consent agenda (minus pulled item): Passed 8–0.
- Reconsider and then table MOA with NMS (to provide lunches at Pioneer Home pre-K for FY 25–26): Motion to table carried 8–0; the item was rescheduled for the Sept. 24 meeting. The superintendent reported NMUSA and district had not completed required agreements; district staff expect the MOA work to be finished in September.
- Revise BP 9323 (meeting conduct policy) — second reading: Approved (roll call recorded; motion passed 8–0).
- Add BP 9020 (board standards) — second reading: Approved (8–0).
- Add E 9020 (board standards, exhibit) — second reading: Approved (8–0).
- Approve BP 9012 (communications to and from the board) — second reading: Approved (8–0). Board members at the meeting explained the policy is intended to encourage members of the public to include the full board and superintendent on email communications and to channel board member requests to staff through the superintendent's office to ensure consistent handling.
- Revise BP 9200 (board members) — second reading: Approved (8–0).

Several votes were taken by roll call; the clerk recorded each motion and the roll-call responses that led each listed motion to pass unanimously (8–0). Board members who participated in roll calls included members identified in the meeting roll call; the clerk recorded each vote on the official meeting minutes.

Background and context
The MOA with NMS (nmsusa.com) to provide meals to Pioneer Home pre-K was initially on the consent agenda but was pulled for discussion. The superintendent told the board the district and NMUSA had not finalized required documentation; the board moved to reconsider and then tabled further action until the Sept. 24 meeting so the parties can complete the MOA paperwork. The board clerk recorded the motion to table to the Sept. 24 meeting and the roll-call tally as 8–0.

On the communications policy (BP 9012), board members discussed language about social media and reporting of harassing or defamatory communications. Members said the policy language came from the Alaska School Boards Association policy service and that portions that advise members to \"be cognizant\" of harassment reports are guidance, not mandates; several members urged including the superintendent and the full board on community emails so all members receive the same information.

What the votes mean
- The policy approvals will appear in the district's policy manual after final processing.
- The Pioneer Home pre-K meal MOA will return to the board packet on Sept. 24 for further action; no meals contract or delivery change was authorized at the Aug. 27 meeting.

Actions extracted from the meeting packet and minutes
(Each action below reflects motions and outcomes recorded in the meeting transcript.)","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ketchikan Gateway Borough - School Board","oneSentenceSummary","At its Aug. 27 regular meeting the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District board approved multiple policy revisions and new policies (each by recorded roll call) and voted to table a memorandum of agreement to provide meals at the Pioneer Home pre-K until Sept. 24.","taxTitle","Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska","taxId",27492,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6502918,"Fuel spill at Point Higgins prompts cleanup, air monitoring; reopening awaits state sign-off",1320,1283000,2603000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5689946-d596e769f78857575fab9386282d6a27&start=1283&end=2603","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5689946-d596e769f78857575fab9386282d6a27/thumbnail_1283000.jpg","/articles/6502918/Ketchikan-Gateway-Borough/Alaska/Fuel-spill-at-Point-Higgins-prompts-cleanup-air-monitoring-reopening-awaits-state-sign-off","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6502918-5d2d500aff2c26fdd6025df4f385b3d9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770431263&Signature=IGsnN2cbBJ7xPRwwjpOUCzRGplJeZf5NGYck2EkgO1CcSMYF-jQAd0v0fgBLHZj1Pt9sqUIS57N12GQrSwby3voyUVUdfiRsJQPwd4drBxcXxGeW5ncZNQZMCRg4enHXWxOQp0tLxCWOFesgZ2Vd38XCnHeUX1VT3Qvh4iHh2SlZ8YEdxyRk~CQ3gV73n53G5P7ILXNyeyaC7yCIdOWqc-RJk32ZrMryCxHEyyhSYrMIKIjSi6LikPBDbno~6LDz7gX6H8DCmu~4ENO0jn3SiKOhkvyszynZHpMERTenEyRyyJXtzwbLtRU8E7MODBeS-tCGJzOH-6wKIO6mJeQffg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ketchikan — Ketchikan Gateway Borough and school officials say they are containing and cleaning up a diesel fuel discharge near Point Higgins Elementary School after what they estimate was about 2,700 gallons released from a generator area the week of Aug. 20.

Morgan Berry, public works director for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, said the discharge soaked into ground under the generator room and began discharging downhill from the school. \"We examined the site on Friday ... we realized that it was not contained,\" Berry said, and borough and state agencies stood up an emergency operations center to coordinate containment and cleanup. Borough crews and contractors have fenced the affected area and have been assessing and cleaning creeks downstream, Berry said.

The borough and district said they have not found evidence that diesel reached the ocean. \"We have not found that any diesel fuel has made its way to the ocean,\" Berry said.

Nortek Engineering, which is conducting air, water and soil testing, reported indoor air readings at the school well below occupational limits. Jason Ginter of Nortek said early steps — notably turning the school's HVAC off while response teams were onsite — reduced the risk of petroleum vapors being drawn into occupied spaces. He said indoor readings in the school were \"consistently under 500 parts per billion\" after mitigation steps; by comparison, he cited the OSHA limit for petroleum distillates as about 200 parts per million (200,000 parts per billion). Ginter said some isolated indoor spikes reflected local sources, such as a recently varnished gym floor or uncapped glue in an art room, and that the fenced spill area is downhill of the school and remains closed to the public.

Al Jacobsen, the district's director of maintenance, said the sanitary sewer and local treatment plant do not show diesel contamination. \"There's no diesel in it,\" Jacobsen said when asked whether the sewer or treatment plant had been affected.

Superintendent Ford Slack said the district is coordinating with state agencies and the borough on decisions about reopening. \"The Department of Health makes the first call,\" Ford Slack said; the district also must secure a signed waiver from the state fire marshal if the school's generator and related systems cannot be returned to service before occupancy. That waiver could require a formal \"fire watch\" while people are in the building.

Officials said they expect regular updates. The borough planned a short public update and said it would issue another update on Friday; Ford Slack said she hoped the Department of Health would provide clearance by late Friday but that the timeline was uncertain. If the site remains active, the district has identified interim classroom options: Clover Pass Church and Holy Name have offered space for short-term use, Ford Slack said.

District and borough officials urged parents and community members to rely on official updates. Borough representatives said they have been posting news releases and updates to a dedicated web page and social media and will continue to provide information as testing and decisions proceed.

Clarifying details compiled from the meeting:
- Estimated volume discharged: about 2,700 gallons of diesel (district/borough estimate).
- Location/source: fuel discharged into the generator room; soaked into soil under that area and discharged downhill from the school building.
- Water/sewer: district director of maintenance said the sanitary sewer and treatment plant \"do not have diesel in it.\" (Al Jacobsen)
- Air monitoring: Nortek reported indoor readings consistently under 500 parts per billion after HVAC mitigation; playground reading reported at 14 parts per billion during a daytime check.
- Environmental response partners: Ketchikan Gateway Borough incident command, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), EPA, U.S. Coast Guard MSD, Nortek Engineering, Alaska Department of Health, state fire marshal.
- School operations: district said teachers, staff and parents will receive updates; the Department of Health and state fire marshal will determine whether and when the building is safe for occupancy.
- Contingency spaces: Clover Pass Church and Holy Name offered temporary classroom space if needed.

The district and borough emphasized caution: the spill area remains fenced and closed to public access while cleanup and monitoring continue. Officials asked people to consult official borough and district channels for verified updates.","A discharge of about 2,700 gallons of diesel at Point Higgins Elementary prompted a multiagency response. Borough and district officials fenced the contaminated area, began cleanup and air monitoring, and said reopening depends on Department of Health and state fire-marshal approvals.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves several policy changes; tables Pioneer Home pre-K lunch MOA to Sept. 24

Fuel spill at Point Higgins prompts cleanup, air monitoring; reopening awaits state sign-off