Rocky Boy Public Schools moving to hybrid in-class learning

Havre Daily News staff

Rocky Boy Public Schools Superintendent Voyd St. Pierre announced Thursday that the district’s Board of Trustees voted in a special meeting Wednesday to move the district to a partial reopening/hybrid model of instruction.

The board was presented with three options, full reopening, the hybrid model and staying in the remote model.

“I made the recommendation for the board to consider implementing Option 2,” St. Pierre said in the release. “The board voted 3-2 for option 2 (Partial Reopening/Hybrid Model), which would begin on Monday, January 25, 2021, and include the Headstart/EHS Programs.”

St. Pierre said, in preparation for possible changes, building principals and supervisory staff have been working to update, modify, and prepare departmental plans for the transition from remote to partial reopening/hybrid learning.

Those plans are due to him today, St. Pierre said, “and the administrative team will work to coordinate and finalize the Partial Reopening/Hybrid Model as we prepare for in-person instruction on January 25. The updated plan will be reviewed by the Board on Tuesday, January 19, at their regularly scheduled monthly board meeting.”

Rocky Boy had started the year in remote learning with the plan to consider switching to in-class learning in October, but as cases and deaths surged in Hill County and on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, the board voted to remain in remote learning.

St. Pierre said that, at Wednesday’s meeting, before any formal action was considered, the board opened the floor for comments and discussion regarding the options being presented at the meeting. Comments were shared regarding the current situation with COVID-19 in our community, the local vaccine distribution plans and availability, on-going concerns for the health of students, teachers, parents, and community, the loss of educational opportunities in a remote setting, and academic struggles of students.