Turner Public Schools Approves Reopening Plan

TURNER, Mont. (NMB) – The Turner Public School Board approved their reopening plan earlier this week by unanimous vote.

Superintendent Tony Warren says they will begin the school year in phase two of their plan, which calls for fully in-person learning and a normal schedule, with some minor changes such as staggered lunches.

“For our elementary for example, we typically have K-6 lunch. So what we’re going to do is make that K-2 and then 3-6. And then 7-12 lunch works to our advantage because we typically have a quarter to half of kids going offsite for lunch anyways.”

Warren adds that numerous sanitation and safety guidelines will be in place.

“What you’re going to see on a day-to-day basis is increased cleaning throughout the day of frequently touched surfaces, a lot more than what you’re normally accustomed to seeing. What you’ll also see is after-school hours, a lot more attention to details as far as cleaning.”

The Turner School District currently has total student enrollment of under 70, which Warren says gives them an advantage over larger districts when it comes to reopening.

“Just from my perspective, just want people to know that we’re making the best decisions we can to support our student’s learning and get people back into the building. We realize that this situation is changing on an hourly, daily, weekly basis. So our plan may need to evolve over time and we’re flexible and ready for the challenges that lie ahead.”

Students that opt out of in-person learning are not eligible to participate in extracurricular activities.