One Nation, Under God
One Nation, Under God
Malta Elementary second grade teacher Kendra Veit checks on one of her students during remote learning due to the COVID-19 stay at home orders. Photo by Rhonda Dalby.
Montana Governor Steve Bullock announced plans to "Reopen Montana" last week during the COVID-19 virus outbreak which included schools, allowing them to open on May 7, but ultimately left the decision up to school boards who would need to implement a laundry-list of safety measures "that were nearly impossible," one source told the PCN.
Under "school reopening considerations" Gov. Bullock's plan, schools were asked to consider a multitude of safety rules and guidelines including cleaning and sanitation, limiting class sizes, consider using face coverings by all students and staff, canceling all extracurricular affairs, reducing bus loads to allow for one student per seat and having children alternate which days they would attend school.
"The Directive does not preclude school boards from declaring local emergencies to continue to receive all appropriate state funding to continue to provide remote learning," a press release from Gov. Bullock said.
On April 24, Saco Public Schools Superintendent Tanya Funk announced that the Saco School board voted to continue with online/distance learning for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.
Last Monday afternoon, Whitewater Public Schools School Board followed suit, Monday night, the Malta Public School's Board did as well, and Dodson's School Board was given an outline of all that would need to be done for their elementary and high schools to reopen and voted on a decision Tuesday after the PCN had gone to press.
In other school news, the Malta Public Schools Superintendent Kris Kuehn, Malta Elementary SchoolPrincipal Cadance Wipplinger, and Malta High School Principal Tracy Fisher have all tendered their resignations. Malta School Board Chair Mark Knudsen told the PCN the board has received several applications for the superintendent position.
The PCN will report on how Saco, Malta, and Dodson schools will handle their senior graduations in next week's paper (Whitewater has no seniors graduating this year.)
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