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Havre schools could move to four days in class

Editor's note: This version corrects an error in reporting when Havre kindergarten through fifth grade students might move to four-day-a-week in-classroom learning.

It appears Havre public schools could soon be moving to more in-class instruction.

Havre Public Schools Interim Superintendent Craig Mueller said today he will recommend at tonight’s school board meeting that Havre students in kindergarten through fifth grade transition Tuesday, Jan. 19 to schedule 3A with in-school learning Tuesday through Friday and grade 6-12 learners transition Monday, Jan. 25, to schedule 3A, attending in-school classes Monday through Thursday.

Face coverings will continue to be required in all buildings. 

Mueller will also recommend that a report of the progress of this transition will be presented at the Feb. 9 board meeting. 

In his recommendation, Mueller said justification for the proposed change is the opportunity for school district staff members to be vaccinated this Wednesday and Friday, the ability to address areas of greatest concern should the number of cases rise in a particular building, relatively low positivity rates — community matrix is close to the targeted goal — and the overall health of HPS staff and ability to continue teaching students in the face-to-face format. 

Also included is the work of building administrators in preparing for the return of more students to the learning environment, transportation adjustments, student opt-out option still being made available for families that need it and required face coverings by staff and students in all buildings.

Mueller will give his recommended standards for considering schedule 3B, a full five-day in-class schedule, tonight as well. These include monitoring the community matrix of number of cases per day per 100,000 people, positivity rate, health of staff and students and the ability for grades six to 12 remote learners to have access to instruction as identified in the HMS and HHS 3A/3B plan.

His reasoning for not going to 3B right now is that the school district needs to show that it can maintain in schedule 3A before adding an additional day, adding that Monday an entire elementary “B” group was quarantined due to a student testing positive. The chance that additional quarantines will happen will continue to occur with more students in the building.

Watch for more on this in Wednesday’s editions of the Havre Daily News.

 

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