HPS conducting survey on masks in school

With the delta-variant driven surge hitting the area as the district moves closer to opening the next school year, Havre Public Schools is conducting a survey to see what the community desires as far as wearing masks in schools.

The online survey can be accessed at https://forms.gle/6zWuhqM5DNCkTSgZ8 and closes at noon Friday.

The survey introduction says the results of the survey will be shared with the Havre Board of Trustees, the public and the media.

It adds that the purpose of the survey is not to give people a vote on the final decision, but to to assist in decision making regarding the issue.

The Havre school board is meeting Aug. 17 to discuss what policies will be in place this fall as far as masking in the schools.

With the surge in COVID-19 driven by the delta variant of the virus that causes the illness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its school guidance recommendations including everyone in schools wearing masks at all times regardless of vaccination status.

Data shows the delta variant can be transmitted by fully vaccinated people, unlike previous versions of the virus.

The Aug. 17 school board meeting will be accessible by Zoom, although comment through Zoom will not be available. People will need to attend in person to comment.

Superintendent Craig Mueller has asked people with questions or comments to talk to him or school board members before the Aug. 17 meeting.

Mueller said public comment is welcome at the meeting, but the board is not able to respond or answer questions during the public comment section of the board meeting. He would like people to talk to him or board members in advance to have their questions answered and concerns addressed.

"Communication with the school district is encouraged," Mueller said this morning. "Community members are welcome to attend the meeting and to comment in support of or in opposition to recommendations made or motions posed by the board of trustees."

The surge in COVID-19 cases that was expected by the fall is already in the United States and hitting Montana, including this region of the state.

Health officials in Montana said that the heat and smoke from wildfires was putting people in close contact in indoor spaces and was likely to cause an upswing in new cases.

Hill County Health Department reported Monday night that 12 new cases were confirmed Saturday through Monday, bringing the county to 31 active cases.

The delta variant has been confirmed to have caused cases in both Blaine and Hill counties.

Statewide, the surge has hit heavily in some higher-population counties, with the state case update today listing more 624 active cases in Flathead County, 302 in Cascade County, 325 in Yellowstoe County, 237 in Missoula County and 153 in Gallatin County.

Only four counties in the state do not have active cases listed on the state tracking map.

The options available on the survey are whether people would prefer the district keep face masks as optional in the schools, following the CDC guidelines or that the person taking the survey is undecided.

CDC's latest recommendations for school guidance on its website says that, given new evidence on the delta variant, CDC has updated the guidance for fully vaccinated people. CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place.

The web page says the key takeaways from the guidance are:

• Students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction in the fall 2021 is a priority.

• Vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoting vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports.

• Due to the circulating and highly contagious delta variant, CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

• In addition to universal indoor masking, CDC recommends schools maintain at least three feet of physical distance between students within classrooms to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least three feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as screening testing.

• Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.

• Students, teachers, and staff should stay home when they have signs of any infectious illness and be referred to their health care provider for testing and care.

• Many schools serve children under the age of 12 who are not eligible for vaccination at this time. Therefore, this guidance emphasizes implementing layered prevention strategies (e.g., using multiple prevention strategies together consistently) to protect students, teachers, staff, visitors, and other members of their households and support in-person learning.

• Localities should monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening testing, and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on the level of layered prevention strategies (e.g., physical distancing, screening testing).

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COVID-19 section of the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html .