Some Montana schools finished 2019-20 school year on campus
Posted April 2020
Staff Editor
Montana schools were the first to reopen after the stay-at-home orders, though the opening will be short-lived due to the end of the school year approaching, and views of the short opening are conflicting between thankfulness and fear.
Montana Governor Steve Bullock announced in April that school districts had the option to reopen for in-person learning. While larger districts remained closed and continued online learning, some smaller districts prepared to and provided students with traditional classroom learning. The smaller districts have a smaller student to teacher ratio, which has caused those districts to feel capable of teaching students in-person while also abiding by social distancing guidelines.
Willow Creek Elementary was one of those small schools. It fully reopened its doors to students. With each class having approximately 10 students, the school felt confident in its ability to keep students safe. The parents of the students at Willow Creek were surveyed and reportedly showed support for reopening.
“They're incredibly excited," said Erika Wahl, mother of two Willow Creek students. "They are so glad to be back. They miss their teachers, they miss their friends.”
Other Montana schools, like Troy Public Schools, is considering reopening for study help and after school activities. While Troy would provide students with a study hall option and activities for students to attend, the school district wouldn’t provide bus usage. Parents must get their students to and from school for the student to be able to participate. Troy Public Schools have thought about reopening but remain undecided.
“We closed rooms down that weren’t going to be used, and we started condensing and disinfecting rooms, shut them down and locked them down,” stated the maintenance and transportation director for the district, Keith Haggerty. “We did the same with the buses if they weren’t going to be used anymore. And we had everything set, ready for reopening at the drop of the hat also, if we were to go that route.”
Though schools are doing what is necessary to keep the schools clean and are insisting on all personal and the entire student body practicing social distancing, some parents have concerns and are having their students continue learning from home. When interviewed by CNN parents made comments like, “It’s a travesty….” “I don’t think that they’ll [students] stick with the social distancing”, and “They could so easily get sick, it only takes one person and then everyone could have it."