Buckle Up: Far-Right Seeks Battle Over ASD Mask Wearing. Again.

After Anchorage School Board Member Dave Donley appeared on both the Louisiana-based Dan Fagan Show and the Mike Porcaro Show this past Friday, the far-right lept into action, hellbent on making mask-wearing a divisive issue just as the beginning of the Anchorage school year approaches.

'Somehow,' news of Donley's on-air mask-related comments spread to Must Read Alaska, where Assembly Person Jamie Allard shared the Must Read Alaska blog post to her Facebook page and also shared to the Save Anchorage group by moderator and sometimes gravestone wielder Julie Brophy.

It's a curious cycle.

Donley, whose wife is a Save Anchorage member, has alleged a decision on mask-wearing in schools could be made soon but said he hasn't been able to get a direct answer from Anchorage School Superintendent Dr. Deena Bishop.

In addition, the right-wing blog Must Read Alaska has craftily suggested that a local teacher's union is conducting a coordinated "stealth" campaign over masks that can help prevent people who have Covid-19 from spreading the virus to others.

What kind of Alaskan doesn't want to help prevent others from a highly transmissible virus?

Eagle River Assembly Person Jamie Allard, an apparent fan of crocheted masks, asked in a Facebook post today whether her followers were ready to "defend our children against the ASD."

In a phrase certain to resonate with the group whose members celebrated the January 6 Capitol Hill insurrection and regularly share misinformation on Covid-19, Allard also told her followers, "We need to rally the forces and get ready for the lawsuit."

It's not clear what lawsuit Allard was referring to in her Facebook post, but if she's involved, it's almost certainly dead on arrival.

Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink vocalized her concern over the past week, writing on social media that she was transitioning back to indoor dining and masking when indoors and around others even though she is fully vaccinated.

Dr. Zink's social media comments come at a time when the Delta variant of Covid-19 has quickly begun spreading in Alaska. According to data on the Alaska Coronavirus Dashboard and Covid Act Now, the Municipality of Anchorage is seeing 28.6 daily new cases of those infected with the virus per 100k population.

The Delta variant is now considered to be the predominant strain of the coronavirus in Alaska and is more easily transmissible than earlier variants of the virus.

According to the latest Alaska DHSS Weekly Case Update, the number of Alaskans hospitalized with COVID-19 is increasing, and reportedly, healthcare staffing in Anchorage hospitals is stressed. Healthcare workers are already dealing with a busy summer and staffing shortages—an uptick in Covid patients frequenting emergency departments is only adding to that stress.

In April's election, Anchorage voters unseated school board members who they say didn't take Covid-19 seriously—replacing them with Progressives they believe will stand up for the safety of school staff and students.

For those concerned about the safety and well-being of students and ASD employees, you might consider reaching out to ASD Superintendent Bishop at bishop_deena@asdk12.org or the school board at schoolboard@asdk12.org.

I'm sure the school board would love to hear from those who elected them in April.