CJI schools goes virtual due to COVID case

Even with declining numbers of cases of COVID-19 in the region and vaccinations rolling out, the COVID-19 pandemic is still hitting local schools, with Chester-Joplin-Inverness Schools announcing Monday it was going to online remote education from today through Feb. 23.

The school district said in a message on its website and Facebook page that the closure is due to a confirmed case of coronavirus in the schools and Kindergarten through 12th grade would go to online learning.

Students were to pick up personal and classroom items at the elementary school today at the elementary school doors after 10 a.m. and high school students could pick up essential items after 10 a.m. at the high school office, the message said.

The post said the spelling bee scheduled for today was canceled, as was girls basketball games and wrestling this week.

No fans will be allowed at the boys basketball games, varsity versus Fort Benton at 5 p.m. Friday and the boys basketball game versus Box Elder at 5 p.m. Friday, the message said.

People could sign up for grab-and-go meals, available for all people 18 and younger, at the website at https://www.cji.k12.mt.us and the Facebook page.

Havre Public Schools, which entered four-day-a-week in-class learning last month, also reported new cases this week, with Interim Superintendent Craig Mueller issuing a release Monday saying the district had received confirmation that a person associated with the district had been confirmed with the disease Friday and another release Tuesday saying a person associated with the district had been confirmed with it Tuesday afternoon.

The releases said no contact tracing was necessary in those specific cases, and the Havre public schools remained open.

Dodson Public Schools just returned to in-class learning this week after an outbreak occurred there two weeks ago.

Superintendent Gary Weitz said this morning that people in the district finished their quarantines and the district had followed recommendations by health professionals in transitioning back to in-class learning.

The state, and nation, have struggled to get and keep students in classrooms all year, with many schools in the area going with remote learning for short periods or months,

Rocky Boy Schools had started online and planned to go to a hybrid model in October with students attending classes in the schools some days, but scrapped that with outbreaks in Hill County and on Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation. Those schools went to a hybrid model with some in-class learning Jan. 25.

Havre started the year in a hybrid model with students split into two groups that each attended school in classrooms two days a week, but had to go remote for two weeks in October after an outbreak. It returned to a hybrid model before going to the four-day model last month.

Harlem Public Schools have repeatedly had to go into short or even extended duration periods of remote learning, but is holding in-class learning four days a week at this point.

Box Elder Schools also had been in remote learning but moved to a hybrid model in January.