Alaska

A judge has thrown out a key part of Alaska’s homeschool system. Here’s what to know.

Published

2 years ago

April 16, 2024

A judge has thrown out a key part of Alaska’s homeschool system. Here’s what to know.

The Alaska State Capitol on March 25, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)

A Superior Court judge in Anchorage has found a key benefit to families who choose certain types of homeschool violates the state Constitution. The ruling has to do with correspondence school allotments. Those are cash payments to families of homeschooled children meant to reimburse the cost of things like textbooks, services and even private school classes.

Here’s what to know.

What does this ruling say?

The ruling recaps the case so far and the laws at issue.

In January 2023, four parents of school-age children sued, challenging the constitutionality of a 2014 law “authorizing school districts with correspondence programs to provide an annual student allotment to a parent or guardian of a student enrolled in the correspondence study program for the purpose of meeting instructional expenses for the student.”

The law allows families to purchase “nonsectarian services and materials” from public sources, like school districts, in addition to “private or religious organization(s).” The purchases have to be approved by the school district and abide by state standards, including by coming up with an Individual Learning Plan. The allotments can be up to $4,500 per student per school year.

Judge Adolf Zeman found that system unconstitutional. He found that it violates Article 7 of the Alaska Constitution, which says, in part, “No money shall be paid from public funds for the direct benefit of any religious or private educational institution.” Basically, the allotments are paid to parents, some of whom spend them on private school courses — and that’s unconstitutional, according to the ruling.

And the judge didn’t just invalidate spending on private or religious schools — he found that there was no way to narrow the law enough to be constitutional and tossed out the whole correspondence school allotment system. So providing allotments to buy textbooks, public school courses, activities — all of that is now invalidated, as is the law that lays out what an individual learning plan is.

“If the legislature believes these expenditures are necessary — then it is up to them to craft constitutional legislation to serve that purpose — that is not this Court’s role,” wrote Judge Zeman, who was appointed to the bench in 2020 by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

How did this system come about?

Basically, the allotment system is an effort to give students and families more choices over their education.

In the ruling, Zeman reaches back to legislative debate that began just over 11 years ago in 2013. Then-Sen. Mike Dunleavy sponsored the bill, and he pitched it to lawmakers alongside a constitutional amendment, appearing to acknowledge that the Alaska Constitution doesn’t allow public money to be spent on private school classes.

“A parent could decide, ‘I want my child to take a Latin course at Monroe Catholic.’ The teacher could agree to that in the ILP. Currently, we cannot do that under the state of, under the current constitutional language,” Dunleavy said in his initial presentation of Senate Bill 100. Language from that bill was later incorporated into House Bill 278, which passed into law in 2014.

Of course, correspondence learning and homeschool have a long history in Alaska. Prior to 2014, said Lon Garrison of the Association of Alaska School Boards, correspondence students would learn from curriculum provided by their local district or a statewide homeschool program.

That changed with the allotment program, Garrison said.

“It gave that opportunity for parents to really kind of determine what they wanted in terms of curricular material and instructional materials,” Garrison said.

But what allotments were spent on changed over time, said Scott Kendall, an attorney representing the plaintiffs. Around 2020 or 2021, he said, private schools began promoting the idea of dual enrollment, essentially using the allotments for private school tuition.

“In fact, you would enroll in a private school, and they would enroll you in the correspondence program, and you would basically just submit your tuition bills as those were, in fact, expenses related to correspondence school, or homeschooling, and then you get paid back,” Kendall said.

Jodi Taylor, the wife of Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor, wrote an op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News detailing exactly how parents could use the correspondence school program to pay for private school tuition. She used a private Catholic elementary school as an example.

A few months later, Treg Tayor issued an opinion saying that allotments could likely be spent constitutionally on private or religious school classes, but could likely not be used to pay for full-time enrollment in a private school.

Proponents, including Jodi Taylor in her op-ed, say the system gives families the choice to pursue the education they want for their children. Attorney Kirby West of the Institute for Justice, which argued in favor of the allotment program, said parents use their allotments for all manner of things.

“Online courses through public universities is a really common one, to either supplement homeschooling curriculum, or just standalone enrollment in college courses from public universities. Many, many parents do use the allotment for tuition at private school,” West said, including her clients, who she said use it for tuition at a Catholic school in Anchorage.

What are people saying about the ruling?

Unsurprisingly, the plaintiffs say the judge’s ruling is sound. And the judge actually went further than Kendall asked. He asked them to invalidate spending on private or religious schools, and the judge said there’s no way to make the rest of the law constitutional and threw the whole program out.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Treg Taylor says the ruling is flawed.

“I don’t agree with the logic that he applied to the ruling,” Taylor said. “He made two statutes completely unconstitutional, which I think was unnecessary. And so I think he, his decision went overboard in what I think was within the law.”

He said the issue has his and Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s attention, and they’re seeking a stay and an appeal. He declined to say whether public money should be spent on private or religious schools.

In a prepared statement, the head of the Department of Law’s Civil Division, Cori Mills, said the ruling is “very concerning.”

“This is a public school program for public school children. This could result in taking away important public education opportunities from Alaskan families. We are evaluating next options,” Mills said through a spokesperson.

Kirby West, the Institute for Justice attorney, says they also plan to appeal it to the Alaska Supreme Court. She said the allotments aren’t a “direct benefit” to a private or religious school described in the Constitution — they’re payments that parents can spend on all manner of things.

“If the state, for example, created a program that was giving a monthly allowance to people to purchase food, no one would think right that that is a direct benefit for Walmart, or Fred Meyer or another grocery store, because the state doesn’t know how people are going to spend their money,” West said. “They don’t know what they’re going to buy or where they’re going to buy it.”

Basically, the people getting the “direct benefit” are the parents — not private or religious schools.

How are lawmakers reacting?

Leaders in the state House and Senate say they’re considering their next steps. Kendall says the solution could be simple — because the constitutional issue has to do with private and religious schools, he said lawmakers could simply pass a bill that says allotments can’t be used at those kinds of schools.

And it’s early, but the ruling has policymakers’ attention. Speaker of the House Rep. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, said her Republican-led majority caucus wants to address the issue.

“It will be a high priority,” she said. “We’ll be talking about it as a full caucus here in the next day or two to find our path forward.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, a self-described “veteran homeschool mom” who co-sponsored the allotments bill alongside Dunleavy, said the judge got it right.

“I actually think it was a really sound decision,” Giessel said. “When I realized last summer that promotional statements were being made about how to apply these allotments, that this had gone way beyond what I had pictured when the bill was on the floor in 2014.”

And Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, a co-chair of the House Education Committee, said the Legislature should act “this session, in my opinion.”

“I think there’s some concerns with how some of the funds were used, but overall, I support correspondence schools in the state,” Ruffridge said. “I think there should be allotments for those kids to be able to use and go to school with. so I think there needs to be some work done to make sure that that can continue.”

Asked whether he believes it’s appropriate for allotments to be spent on classes through private or religious schools, Ruffridge said flatly, “No.”

Rep. Dan Ortiz, I-Ketchikan, said the judge’s ruling is “an accurate interpretation” of the state Constitution and said he believes the House’s largely Democratic and independent minority caucus would support legislation that would make the program constitutional.

“I think we’re going to be supportive of trying to come up with a solution that works with the Constitution and that protects, continues to provide the opportunity for students to receive their schooling through correspondence,” Ortiz said.

And Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, said he believed the Legislature could pass language fixing the constitutional issues with the allotment system alongside a broader, long-term school funding increase.

“I think any opportunity we can find to increase the (base student allocation), without compromising Alaska’s constitution or good education system, we should take,” Kiehl said. “I think that if there needs to be a bill, to keep a strong correspondence, homeschool support system, that’s another great opportunity to fix that problem while we fix the funding.”

So, while there seems to be broad agreement that the issue should be fixed, when and how to do so seems to be an open question.

What does this mean for parents and students, and what lies ahead?

Those are both very hard to answer at this point, but the changes are not expected to take effect this school year. The administration says there are about 24,000 students who could be affected by the ruling. Education Commissioner Deena Bishop said she plans to send a letter to school districts with more details of the road ahead, but she said the plan for now is to stay the course.

“I will be sending out a letter today to all school districts with some direction,” Bishop said. “At this point, we’d like them to continue to finish out the year as they’ve been working.”

Kendall says the plaintiffs plan to seek a stay, putting the ruling on hold, until the end of the fiscal year in June in order not to disrupt the school year and allow time for an expedited appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court. The Institute for Justice is asking for a longer stay, according to a filing from Kendall, who said the plaintiffs will oppose the longer hold on the decision. The state also plans to appeal, the governor said in a social media post.

The appeal, though, could take a while — months or years.

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Alaska

Marten visits are a glimpse into mystery

Published

55 minutes ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Marten visits are a glimpse into mystery

A trapper fresh out of the Cosna River country in Interior Alaska said he can’t believe how many martens he had caught in a small area so far this winter.

Friends are talking about the house-cat size creatures visiting their wood piles and porches. Could this be a boom in the number of these handsome woodland creatures?

Since the late 1970s, the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute has provided this column free in cooperation with the UAF research community. Ned Rozell is a science writer for the Geophysical Institute. Portions of this story appeared in 2000.

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Alaska

Alaska Sports Scoreboard: Feb. 28, 2026

Published

13 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

High school

Basketball

Girls

Monday

Kenai Central 63, Nikiski 33

Colony 68, Grace Christian 46

Tuesday

South 33, East 22

Service 62, Dimond 47

Redington 47, Houston 17

Wasilla 60, Mountain City Christian Academy 44

Kenai Central 54, Homer 27

Bartlett 53, Chugiak 29

Mt. Edgecumbe 59, Sitka 50

Wednesday

Shishmaref 82, Aniguiin 34

Shaktoolik 73, Anthony Andrews 25

Savoonga 61, White Mountain 56

Glennallen 68, Nenana 26

Seward 72, Houston 8

Service 65, South 26

Brevig Mission 65, Koyuk Malimiut 47

Chief Ivan Blunka 67, Manokotak 30

Thursday

White Mountain 76, Anthony Andrews 50

Hoonah 44, Skagway 21

Koyuk Malimiut 53, Aniguiin 51

Nunamiut 74, Kali 17

Glennallen 25, Delta 20

Birchwood Christian 42, Nanwalek 24

Ninilchik 33, Lumen Christi 30

Dimond 59, Chugiak 54

Shaktoolik 57, Savoonga 24

Colony 43, Mountain City Christian 41

Alak 67, Meade River 66

Lathrop 42, West Valley 34

Seward 78, Nikiski 32

Grace Christian 56, Soldotna 41

Kenai Central 56, Houston 10

Wasilla 72, Palmer 27

Bristol Bay 55, Chief Ivan Blunka 30

Nome-Beltz 33, Bethel 24

Scammon Bay 46, Ignatius Beans 28

Aniak 83, Akiachak 45

Shishmaref 53, Brevig Mission 51

Metlakatla 64, Haines 21

Friday

Chief Ivan Blunka 68, Togiak 38

Meade River 80, Nuiqsut Trapper 34

Nunamiut 68, Alak 50

Cook Inlet Academy 33, Birchwood Christian 32

Meade River 71, Kali 46

Kalskag 62, Akiachak 47

Hoonah 39, Kake 37

Soldotna 36, Palmer 23

Delta 54, Valdez 45

Unalakleet 61, Chevak 45

Minto 46, Hutchison 26

West 71, Bartlett 65

Seward 63, Homer 19

North Pole 61, West Valley 25

Newhalen 78, Chief Ivan Blunka 40

Birchwood Christian 43, Nanwalek 28

Bethel 42, Nome-Beltz 35

Aniak 65, Tuluksak 50

Scammon Bay 49, St. Mary’s 38

Monroe Catholic 84, Galena 42

Ketchikan 57, Redington 24

Meade River 69, Alak 62

Fort Yukon 60, Jimmy Huntington 19

Grace Christian 50, Kenai Central 45

Shaktoolik 44, Shishmaref 34

Wrangell 44, Petersburg 31

Saturday

Unalakleet 41, Chevak 37

Meade River 54, Nunamiut 51

Monroe Catholic 68, Galena 32

Newhalen 32, Bristol Bay 26

Cook Inlet Academy 65, Birchwood Christian 32

Soldotna 55, Palmer 42

Nunamiut 48, Meade River 46

Boys

Sunday

SISD 51, Yakutat 18

Monday

Eagle River 54, Birchwood Christian 52

Colony 69, Grace Christian 64

Kenai Central 68, Nikiski 30

Tuesday

Susitna Valley 48, Lumen Christi 46

Dimond 54, Service 47

South 50, East 46

Houston 53, Redington 40

Wasilla 63, Mountain City Christian Academy 50

Kenai Central 74, Homer 47

Chugiak 66, Bartlett 45

Wednesday

SISD 59, Yakutat 17

Shishmaref 85, Savoonga 45

Hydaburg 58, Hoonah 51

Shaktoolik 103, Martin L Olson 49

Skagway 68, Gustavus 24

Davis-Romoth 108, Kobuk 31

Klawock 68, SISD 27

Glennallen 61, Nenana 57

Gambell 46, James C Isabell 31

South 63, Service 60

Seward 81, Houston 73

Bristol Bay 80, Chief Ivan Blunka 61

Mt. Edgecumbe 68, Sitka 59

Scammon Bay 79, Ignatius Beans 34

Brevig Mission 73, Aniguiin 67

Thursday

Savoonga 69, James C Isabell 61

Hoonah 64, Yakutat 45

Alak 88, Meade River 38

Shaktoolik 110, Brevig Mission 30

Chief Ivan Blunka 62, Tanalian 39

Nunamiut 66, Kali 48

Davis-Romoth 91, Buckland 45

Ninilchik 83, Lumen Christi 38

Monroe Catholic 43, North Pole 42

King Cove 57, Bristol Bay 41

Metlakatla 52, Haines 46

Nome-Beltz 62, Bethel 45

Skagway 79, Angoon 30

Birchwood Christian 69, Nanwalek 63

Dimond 60, Chugiak 57

Colony 75, Mountain City Christian Academy 49

Wasilla 66, Palmer 40

Klawock 63, Hydaburg 49

Shishmaref 58, Gambell 47

Grace Christian 63, Soldotna 52

Seward 66, Nikiski 51

Kenai Central 61, Houston 48

Nuiqsut Trapper 64, Alak 51

West Valley 51, Lathrop 44

Akiachak 83, Akiak 64

Scammon Bay 62, Marshall 54

Friday

Hoonah 71, SISD 38

Hydaburg 61, Kake 50

Chief Ivan Blunka 73, Bristol Bay 68

Kali 63, Meade River 45

Nunamiut 80, Nuiqsut Trapper 62

Service 58, East 50

Angoon 61, Hoonah 56

Cook Inlet Academy 73, Birchwood Christian 34

King Cove 75, Newhalen 39

Petersburg 53, Wrangell 20

Skagway 46, Klawock 43

Metlakatla 50, Haines 42

Nome-Beltz 71, Bethel 43

Juneau-Douglas 67, Tri-Valley 45

Wasilla 73, Chugiak 43

West 83, Bartlett 36

Colony 73, Kodiak 32

Delta 62, Valdez 54

West Valley 72, North Pole 46

Palmer 57, Soldotna 47

Nenana 55, Cordova 53

Chief Ivan Blunka 63, Manokotak 48

Scammon Bay 67, St. Mary’s 54

Unalakleet 87, Chevak 64

Shaktoolik 73, Shishmaref 54

Saturday

Unalakleet 95, Chevak 44

Cook Inlet Academy 95, Birchwood Christian 50

South 73, Eagle River 35

Palmer 45, Soldotna 40

• • •

College

Hockey

Friday

UAF 2, UAA 0

Saturday

UAA vs. UAF (Late)

• • •

Women’s basketball

Thursday

UAA 79, Western Oregon 58

Saint Martin’s 99, UAF 59

Saturday

Western Oregon 73, UAF 58

UAA vs. Saint Martin’s (Late)

• • •

Men’s basketball

Thursday

Saint Martin’s 77, UAF 65

UAA 80, Western Oregon 59

Saturday

UAF 82, Western Oregon 74

UAA vs. Saint Martin’s (Late)

• • •

NAHL

Friday

Anchorage Wolverines 5, Chippewa Steel 4

Saturday

Anchorage Wolverines vs. Chippewa Steel (Late)

• • •

2026 Fur Rondy Frostbite Footrace

5K Women

1. Courtney Spann, Anchorage, AK 26:05; 2. Racheal Kerr, Alakanuk, AK 26:07; 3. Anne-Marie Meyer, Yakima, WA 27:06; 4. Riann Anderson, Anchorage, AK 27:09; 5. Nevaeh Dunlap, Anchorage, AK 27:47; 6. Rita McKenzie, Anchorage, AK 27:55; 7. Marta Burke, Anchorage, AK 28:08; 8. Rachel Penney, Eagle River, AK 29:24; 9. Victoria Grant, Eagle River, AK 29:33; 10. Gretchen Klein, Craig, AK 29:36; 11. Penny Wasem, Willow, AK 29:42; 12. Chantel Van Tress, JBER, AK 29:51; 13. Janet Johnston, Anchorage, AK 30:18; 14. Dianna Clemetson, Anchorage, AK 31:33; 15. Sarah Hoepfner, Anchorage, AK 32:02; 16. Ireland Hicks, Seward, AK 33:21; 17. Lilly Schoonover, Seward, AK 33:21; 18. Suzanne Smerjac, Anchorage, AK 33:32; 19. Mindy Perdue, Wasilla, AK 34:12; 20. Oxana Bystrova, Anchorage, AK 34:23; 21. Charlene Canino, Anchorage, AK 34:49; 22. Tami Todd, Wasilla, AK 34:50; 23. Kaiena Tuiloma, Anchorage, AK 34:57; 24. Meg Kurtagh, Anchorage, AK 35:05; 25. Larue Groves, Chugiak, AK 35:13; 26. Rose Van Hemert, Anchorage, AK 36:12; 27. Morgan Daniels, Crestview, FL 36:25; 28. Elle Kauppi, Anchorage, AK 37:31; 29. Miranda Gibson, Wasilla, AK 37:46; 30. Caroline Secoy, JBER, AK 37:46; 31. Jordyn McNeil, Palmer, AK 38:29; 32. Ryan Plant, Palmer, AK 38:30; 33. Samantha Williams, Anchorage, AK 39:00; 34. Wendy Heck, Willow, AK 39:33; 35. Stephanie Kesler, Anchorage, AK 43:29; 36. Denise Wright, Anchorage, AK 43:50; 37. Brie Flores, Anchorage, AK 46:14; 38. Anabell Lewis, Anchorage, AK 46:15; 39. Jessica Lose, Anchorage, AK 46:18; 40. Kaylie Bylsma, Anchorage, AK 46:18; 41. Alicyn Giannakos, Anchorage, AK 46:38; 42. Natasha Henderson, Anchorage, AK 46:39; 43. Shannon Thompson, Anchorage, AK 48:40; 44. Heather Holcomb, Palmer, AK 48:40; 45. Debora Milligan, Iron Mountain, MI 57:36; 46. Rondy McKee, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, 57:37

5K Men

1. James Miller, Anchorage, AK 18:28; 2. Barefoot Bogey, Woburn, MA 18:37; 3. Keaden Dunlap, Anchorage, AK 19:22; 4. Maximus Tagle-Martinez, JBER, AK 20:03; 5. Gavin Hanks, Eagle River, AK 20:59; 6. Patrick McAnally, Anchorage, AK 21:37; 7. Anthony Gomez, Anchorage, AK 22:37; 8. Christopher Hilliard, JBER, AK 23:20; 9. Terry Schimon, University Place, WA 23:37; 10. Ryan Moldenhauer, Anchorage, AK 24:12; 11. Matthew Haney, Anchorage, AK 24:24; 12. Dan Burke, Anchorage, AK 25:44; 13. Paul Chandanabhumma, Seattle, WA 25:52; 14. Woods Miller, Wasilla, AK 26:51; 15. Bill Grether, Anchorage, AK 27:10; 16. Charles Simmons, Anchorage, AK 27:15; 17. Jacob Cassianni, Anchorage, AK 27:32; 18. John Brewer, Anchorage, AK 28:09; 19. Dustin Whitcomb, Eagle River, AK 28:14; 20. Greg MacDonald, Anchorage, AK 28:28; 21. Kevin Redmond, Anchorage, AK 28:38; 22. Olin Jensen, Anchorage, AK 28:45; 23. Michael Loughlin, Anchorage, AK 29:18; 24. Daryl Schaffer, Anchorage, AK 30:30; 25. Aaron Paul, Anchorage, AK 30:37; 26. Mark Ireland, Anchorage, AK 30:37; 27. Christopher Pineda, Eagle River, AK 30:39; 28. Eric Jostsons, Anchorage, AK 31:07; 29. Justin Fitzgerald, Anchorage, AK 31:36; 30. Steve Lambert, Anchorage, AK 32:09; 31. Justin Atteberry, Anchorage, AK 32:21; 32. Matthew Beardsley, Anchorage, AK 34:07; 33. Caleb Penney, Eagle River, AK 34:21; 34. Evgenii Ivanov, Anchorage, AK 34:22; 35. Eliezer Rivera, Anchorage, AK 35:12; 36. David Massey, Anchorage, AK 35:38; 37. Zachary Todd, Wasilla, AK 35:39; 38. Ed Hills, Anchorage, AK 36:52; 39. Chucky Williams, Anchorage, AK 36:54; 40. Rick Taylor, Wasilla, AK 39:32; 41. Steven Shamburek, Anchorage, AK 43:48; 42. Dave Jones, Anchorage, AK 46:46; 43. Tom Meacham, Anchorage, AK 46:47; 44. Russell Martin, Ventura, CA 47:34; 45. David Martin, Ventura, CA 47:45; 46. Zachary Lounsberry, Palmer, AK 48:41

2.5K Women

1. Kelsey Kramer, Wilmington, NC 13:50; 2. Alannah Dunlap, Anchorage, AK 15:09; 3. Kelsea Johnson, Anchorage, AK 15:45; 4. Kirsten Kling, Anchorage, AK 16:05; 5. Miriam Hayes, Anchorage, AK 16:55; 6. Brianna Slayback, Anchorage, AK 17:04; 7. Haley Hoffman, Alexandria, VA 18:01; 8. Kathryn Hoke, Anchorage, AK 18:32; 9. Rachel Stein, Palmer, AK 18:51; 10. Shayla Harrison, Anchorage, AK 19:29; 11. Danielle Harrison, Anchorage, AK 19:30; 12. Nikki Withers, Tacoma, WA 19:32; 13. Michele Robuck, Anchorage, AK 20:20; 14. Jess Adams, Anchorage, AK 20:20; 15. Ashley Martinez, Miami, FL 20:24; 16. Laura Casanover, Houston, TX 20:31; 17. Adylaine Hacker, Eagle River, AK 21:59; 18. Mary Stutzman, Tallahassee, FL 22:59; 19. Jean Bielawski, Anchorage, AK 23:24; 20. Cheryl Parmelee, Mount Dora, FL 25:45; 21. Ruth Anderson, Anchorage, AK 26:56; 22. Morgan Withers, Tacoma, WA 27:17; 23. Terri Agee, Anchorage, AK 27:31; 24. Chyll Perry, Anchorage, AK 27:35; 25. Denice Withers, Yakima, WA 28:09; 26. Sarah Camacho, Anchorage, AK 28:20; 27. Katheryn Camacho, Anchorage, AK 28:21; 28. Brooke Whitcomb, Eagle River, AK 28:41; 29. Kristine Withers, Tacoma, WA 31:19; 30. Penny Helgeson, Anchorage, AK 33:56; 31. Kimberly Halstead, Eagle River, AK 34:02; 32. Julianna Halstead, Eagle River, AK 34:09

2.5K Men

1. Riley Howard, Anchorage, AK 10:54; 2. Julian Salao, Anchorage, AK 12:26; 3. Mitch Paisker, Anchorage, AK 16:05; 4. Kaden Bartholomew, Anchorage, AK 16:24; 5. Brandon Bartholomew, Anchorage, AK 16:25; 6. Michael Hayes, Anchorage, AK 16:30; 7. Calvin Stein, Anchorage, AK 18:51; 8. Jesse Ackerson, Anchorage, AK 19:42; 9. Clinton Hacker, Eagle River, AK 21:59; 10. Daniel Hjortstorp, Gakona, AK 22:20; 11. Atlas Hjortstorp, Gakona, AK 22:20; 12. Craig Withers, Tacoma, WA 27:18; 13. Jordan Ralph, Tacoma, WA 27:19; 14. Scott King, Anchorage, AK 28:20; 15. Shawn Withers, Yakima, WA 31:18; 16. John Ruthe, Anchorage, AK 35:53

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Alaska

Erica Totland, of Yakutat, Sentenced for Manslaughter

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Erica Totland, of Yakutat, Sentenced for Manslaughter

Erica Totland.Image-FB profiles

(Juneau, AK) – On Friday, February 20, 2026, Juneau Superior Court Judge Amy Mead sentenced 41-year-old Erica Totland to 14 years with 7 years suspended for Manslaughter, Assault in the Third Degree, and Driving Under the Influence. Totland will be on probation for 5 years upon her release from incarceration.

In 2025 Totland pled guilty to Manslaughter, three counts of Assault in the Third Degree, and one count of Driving Under the Influence. The convictions stem from the April 30, 2022 death of 26-year-old Anton Eriksson and injuries sustained by three passengers in Yakutat. During pre-trial litigation, Judge Mead suppressed toxicology results after finding the seizure of Totland’s blood by Yakutat Police Department without a warrant violated Totland’s rights.

At sentencing, Judge Mead rejected Totland’s request that the court find the Manslaughter was a least serious offense deserving of a lower sentence. Four Eriksson family members testified at the sentencing and discussed the impact that Totland’s actions had on their family.

Assistant Attorney General Daniel K. Shorey of the Office of Special Prosecutions prosecuted the case along with Paralegal Marley Hettinger of the Juneau District Attorney’s Office.

CONTACT: Assistant Attorney General Daniel K. Shorey, at (907) 269-6250 or daniel.shorey@alaska.gov.

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