2025-2026 School Year Information

In June 2025, the VCS School Board passed Board Policy 5138: Student Possession and Use of Portable Electronic Devices, including Cellular Phones and Emerging Technologies. Beginning this school year, Valdez City Schools is implementing this policy to support student learning and minimize distractions during the school day.

In summary,

• PK–8th grade students may not use personal devices (cell phones, smartwatches, wireless earbuds, etc.) on campus during the entirety of the school day, from the first to the last bell. This includes passing periods and meal times.

• 9–12th grade students follow the same guidelines, with an exception during their open campus lunch period.

This policy does not affect school-issued devices used for instruction as permitted by a teacher or administrator.

The district prefers that personal devices stay home, but students who bring them may store them in their lockers. Disciplinary procedures for violations will be outlined in each school’s handbook. 

Accommodations will be made for students with approved IEP or Section 504 plans, as determined appropriate by the IEP or 504 team. For questions or concerns, please contact your student's school principal.

Valdez City Schools welcomes Krista Howell as the new principal at Hermon Hutchens Elementary School.

Mrs. Howell earned undergraduate degrees from Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania and Adams State College in Colorado, as well as a master’s degree in special education from the University of Alaska Southeast. She is currently completing a graduate licensure program in educational leadership for principals at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

She has 17 years of teaching experience in Alaska and two years of international experience. Mrs. Howell has worked as a special education teacher in Valdez for ten years, and is excited to move into a leadership role at HHES. 

As part of the City’s daycare project, Hermon Hutchens Elementary School is undergoing a major front office remodel beginning in September 2025. During construction, the HHES Front Office will likely be temporarily relocated to the Kindergarten Wing near the playground entrance — please watch for signage and updated parking lot traffic patterns. The normal front office entrance will be closed for the duration of the project, which is expected to conclude by March 2026. Once complete, the HHES Front Office and District Office will be co-located in the HHES building (with a new internal footprint). VCS will relinquish its use of the current District Office building back into the full care of the City of Valdez at that time, to be remodeled and retrofitted into a daycare facility.

Once final HHES building plans are approved, construction maps and final drawings will be shared with the VCS community.