By Josh Margolis
HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – The Hill County Health Department has sent back their recommendations after the Havre Public School Board proposed potentially moving to Phase 3 of reopening in the near future.
A letter from Health Director Kim Larson to Superintendent Craig Mueller and the Havre School Board included a lengthy list of concerns about potentially moving into four or five days a week of fully in-person learning.
Larson says the hybrid model the District has been using has worked well, and that this is not the time to move forward into Phase 3 as currently proposed, especially if it means social distancing would not be able to be maintained.
“Havre Public Schools has done a great job of implementing that social distancing, and I would really like to see it continue,” Larson told New Media Broadcasters on Wednesday morning. “Specifically, because we’re seeing a big increase in cases (in the area) right now, and I don’t want to put a huge strain on that healthcare system here in Hill County.”
The Health Department says if a COVID-19 case were to be discovered while the District was in Phase 3, without social distancing in place, the school the case is found in may need to be temporarily shut down. In addition, the number of people that would need to be placed in quarantine could be double or triple that from the case discovered at Sunnyside Elementary last month.
This could lead to schools having to, “close over and over due to exposure,” which Larson states, “is not sustainable or effective for students, staff or parents.”
Because the District was in a hybrid model when a case was confirmed in a student at Sunnyside, 28 people were placed in quarantine, but the school was able to remain open.
Larson also states that the District moving to Phase 3 could put a strain on the local healthcare system as the area continues to see an increase in cases. Hill County’s three contact tracers are already often working 12-hour shifts and are monitoring around 180 people (includes positive cases and close contacts).
Response from the District
In light of the letter from the Health Department, Superintendent Craig Mueller spoke with New Media Broadcasters to provide a response.
“I want to thank the Health Department for responding in the way that they did. It definitely makes a lot of sense looking at our current status in our community. We need to keep in mind the overall health and safety of our community and we understand that there is no vaccine for the virus at this time. Making sure we’re doing what we can to take care of our staff and students is our highest priority.”
Mueller says that principals for each school in the District have been working on individualized plans for a potential Phase 3 reopening.
“I’ll present that information to the Board members, and also to the Hill County Health Department so they can take a closer look at how that can impact each individual school building. I think at this time, we wouldn’t really be in the right place to think that we are going to look at what the Health Department is recommending and move in a direction that would counter all work that we’ve done up to this point. So I think right now we’re in a pattern where we’re continuing to look at the number of cases in our community, continue to work with our Health Department in making sure we’re providing the most information we can and we allow that contact tracing to occur. And again, keep the health and safety of our staff and students at the top of our list.”
The Havre School Board’s next scheduled meeting is on October 13th. A Special Board meeting could still be scheduled before then to potentially vote on a Phase 3A or 3B reopening. Phase 3A would see students learning in-person four days a week, with virtual learning on Fridays. Phase 3B would see students learning in-person five days a week.
“I think that the motion made at our last meeting to have a vote (on a Phase 3 reopening) is the plan, but the discussion of a Special Board meeting is ongoing,” Mueller says.
If a vote to move to a Phase 3 reopening does not pass, the District would remain in the current Phase 2B of hybrid learning.
A full text of the letter can be seen below. One note: The letter states that as of 9/23, the Health Department was monitoring 100 people in response to 30 active cases. As of the morning of 9/30, that number is now over 180, and active cases are at 43.
September 29, 2020
To: Craig Mueller, Havre School Board Members
From: Kimberly Larson, Lead Local Health Official/Department Director
Re: Phased Reopening of Havre Public Schools
The need and desire for students to be back within the walls of our schools, receiving face to face instruction from our teachers is something that is shared by many in our community, us included. The harsh reality is, at this moment in time, making that decision isn’t as easy as some believe. Public health professionals have the authority and ethical duty to diligently work to detect, prevent, and respond to infectious diseases, and place the safety and health of the public above all other interests. Disease investigation, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine are all things that public health has performed and understood for many years. COVID-19 has taken this process and amplified the work that public health professionals must do in order to keep our communities safe and healthy tremendously. We, at the Hill County Health Department, currently work seven days a week conducting this process in order to quickly identify and contain this virus within our community so we can keep our economy and schools open at this time.
With the upcoming school board decision, we would like to offer some insight, recommendations and concerns from the local public health viewpoint.
• As of 9/23/2020, the three contact tracers for the Health Department are monitoring over 100 people in our community, in response to the 30 active cases of COVID-19 we currently have.
• As of 9/23/2020, there has been 1 confirmed case of COVID-19 in a student at Sunnyside School, and there has been 28 people isolated/quarantined due to this case. Thankfully, the precautions such as limited students in school to allow for social distancing, masking, sanitizing, and other measures were in place. Had all students and staff been back in school, without social distancing in place, the number of students and staff out due to quarantine would have doubled or tripled, and Sunnyside School may have had to shut down. One thing to think about from the school’s perspective is, would there have been enough backup staff to step in and cover for those out due to exposure to the case?
• If you choose to go to Phase 3 and bring students back to the schools for 4 or 5 days a week, what is your plan for when/if you must move backward into Phase 2 or 1?
• One of the main reasons for the staggered student attendance was to best protect our students and staff, while being able to have face to face instruction. The protocol that is currently in place allows for schools to continue with instruction even after a case is found. It allows for quick identification of contacts, and efficient containment of the virus. We do not have to close schools because of it and that is an ideal and sustainable approach. Closing schools over and over due to exposure is not sustainable or effective for students, staff or parents.
• As Dr. Harada mentioned, Hill County is in a worse place today than we were when first choosing to return to school. We did anticipate more cases, so this is not a shock, but understanding the situation is necessary. This week alone we have had a significant rise in cases, including an outbreak in a long-term care facility with high-risk patients who are more likely to be hospitalized. The capacity of our Public Health System, and Healthcare System in Hill County is something that must always be watched closely, and if those systems cannot contain or manage the workload from the COVID-19 pandemic, closures will have to happen again. This is something we want to avoid, but please understand that if it gets to a point where our resources are expended and we cannot keep up with the workload, a Health Officer Order can and will be issued for closures.
• From the perspective of public health, the decision to open the schools and bring back all students for face to face instruction is not about one child, or one parent. This needs to be about the overall health and safety of our community and population at large. We, as public health work in the best interest of the whole. We work to prevent rather than react. There is no treatment for this virus at this time, and mitigating the risk to our community is the best weapon we have against it. We cannot do this alone, everyone must do their part, think of others, and be a part of the solution.
Thank you for your time, and for requesting our recommendation. We, as public health have an ethical duty to protect the community from communicable disease threats, and place the safety and health of the public above all other interests. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these choices have become more difficult, but we work day in and day out to protect our community. We ask that you keep these recommendations in mind when making your decision.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Larson, CPH
Director/Lead Local Health Official
