By Josh Margolis
HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – The Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees held a special meeting on Tuesday afternoon and approved a draft reopening plan.
The plan includes three phases, which range from all virtual learning in phase one to majority in-person learning in phase three.
The Board has not yet decided which phase the school year will begin in.
Plans are in the works to decide on how to split up students into two groups for half-day learning if the Board chooses to begin the year in Phase 2. The Board mentioned that students could be split up either geographically or alphabetically. There would be a two-hour block between the split sessions allowing the school to be sanitized and for teachers to prepare.
There will be numerous other measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including socially distancing desks and everyone entering school buildings having their temperature checked upon arrival.
Families not wanting their children to attend in-person instruction may fill out an opt-out form and instead participate in remote learning.
Off-site students would still be able to pick up grab-an- go meals.
The re-opening plan remains in draft form and can be adjusted as the situation changes.
Havre Athletic Director Brian Kessler provided an update on the upcoming sports situation. All athletic competitions can feature no more than two teams, which means jamborees or invitationals must be canceled.
Golf season begins on August 13th and all other fall sports can begin on August 14th. For golf, only members of the same team can be paired together during competition.
The football team has provided full face shields for their helmets to limit any potential COVID-19 exposure.
Tickets for athletic competitions will be pre-sold and seats will be assigned. Blue Pony Gym attendance will be capped at 180 and Blue Pony Stadium will be capped at 500 (including vehicles).
Other action taken at the meeting included:
- Adoption of a policy allowing staff to work offsite (i.e. telework) if requested
- Adoption of COVID-19 safety guidelines through, “adherence with the latest health and safety standards available from the Centers for Disease Control.”
- Adoption of a policy that, “advises any person in a school building or at an event of their responsibility to act safely and the district’s protocols to maintain a safe setting.”
- Revision of a policy in order to “strengthen the definition of instruction…and authorizing innovative methods to address any public health emergency during the 2020-2021 school year.” This authorizes a hybrid instruction model to occur and provides the board with the optional provision to provide flexibility to extend the school calendar if necessary, “in order to maximize the opportunity to satisfy the aggregate number of hours.”
- Several personnel actions, including the appointment of Scott Filius as Facilities and Transportation Director
The next Havre School Board meeting is scheduled for August 11th at 6:30 PM at Havre Middle School.
