With classes underway in schools across the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta, the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) has announced that it will not be reopening schools in the two communities hit hardest by ex-typhoon Halong in October 2025.
In a letter to families sent following the board's regular meeting on Aug. 20, the district said that the Chief Paul Memorial School in Kipnuk and the Kwigillingok School will not reopen until critical infrastructure and facility repairs are completed.
“We owe your children a school that is safe and fully ready before we ask them to walk back through the doors,” the letter reads.
In Kipnuk, where around 90% of structures were damaged or destroyed, the school was one of the few buildings to come through ex-typhoon Halong relatively unscathed. It has since served as a base for locals and outside contractors working to rebuild the community.
According to Native Village of Kipnuk President Daniel Paul, around 190 people were in the community as of Aug. 24, a mix of people practicing subsistence and shoring up infrastructure. Nearly 1,000 people lived in Kipnuk prior to its near-total evacuation in the days following the storm.
In the case of the Kwigillingok School, the letter to families also cites a “no go home” order put in place by the tribe’s governing body that remains in effect. A representative from the Native Village of Kwigillingok did not respond to a request for comment about the status of the order for this story.
Nearly all of the 400 residents of Kwigillingok were airlifted to Bethel after ex-typhoon Halong damaged or destroyed an estimated 35% of structures. As of Aug. 25, around 40 people remained in the community, according to the tribe.
LKSD Superintendent Jason Hlasny said by email on Aug. 25 that the district had enrolled 60 students from Kipnuk and 55 students from Kwigillingok in schools in the district as of last week.
The district said that it is exploring online and distance learning opportunities for any kindergarten through eighth grade students currently residing in the communities. For high school students, the district said that enrollment is available through the district’s existing online learning academy and individual online learning options.
An Anchorage School District spokesperson said on Aug. 25 that about 145 students from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok are currently enrolled in Anchorage schools.
Both communities’ tribal members have voted to relocate since the storm.
LKSD said that it plans to share an update on the status of the Kipnuk and Kwigillingok schools by Nov. 1.
