Havre School board changes COVID restrictions

Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees Tuesday amended some of its COVID-19 policies, including sending younger students to school for five days and amending its mask mandate in the schools.

The board voted 6-2 to return kindergarten through fifth grade students to five in-person learning days.

Trustees Garrit Ophus and Tim Scheele opposed returning the students to five learning days beginning April 26.

"I have concerns about the K-5 transitioning, and I don't devalue five instructional days, I think that five instructional days is huge, but at the same time we're stuck with those K-5 kids are going to take at least a week if not two weeks to get used to a Friday," Scheele said. "Is it going to truly benefit the kids at this point?"

Superintendent Craig Mueller said Fridays would benefit at this time because grades three through five and through the middle school as well the students are doing Smart Balance testing right now and it would give the teachers additional time for learning. 

Scheele asked what obstacles the building administrators will face with students returning Fridays.

"I think we all have an extreme value in education, or we wouldn't be here. So, I know that whatever the decision that's made we will respectfully move forward with it," said Lincoln-McKinley Principal Holly Bitz.

"I will agree with Holly. Obviously, we will respectfully carry out whatever decision is made. But I also want to state I still stand by my concerns that I've had throughout the last few weeks when we've discussed it a little bit," Highland Park Early Primary School Principal Mark Irving said. "Looking at it from a consistency standpoint for teacher, the scheduling that goes into it, and also what our parents have done, what our students have done as far as to get into the little bit of the groove that we're in right now."

"On behalf of my staff, I know that my staff is not in favor of this. I know you have charged us to maintain the value of education and we've been able to do that both remotely and face-to-face. We have created an extreme value in our Fridays and what we have been able to do with closing the learning gaps by bringing in a little over a hundred students every Friday," Sunnyside Intermediate School Principal Pax Haslem said. "I think they are tired of just one constant change after another, and this is just another change. I do see the value in a face-to-face education, but the Fridays also allow us to have the face-to-face education with a lot smaller classes."

"At this point ... I understand the get-back-to-normal idea, and that's our goal, but at this point I don't see the schedule changes being beneficial to our schools and to our staff," Scheele said.

Mueller said he does not see any issues with transportation or food services with the K-5 students returning to five day a week in-person learning. Students who are virtual learners would remain virtual learners for the remainder of this school year.

The board also changed social distancing in the schools, reducing it from 6 feet to 3 feet through a seven-to-one vote with Scheele voting against the motion. The change is an amendment and clarification to district policy 1905. Under the new policy, students in the schools will not have to wear masks if they are more than 3 feet away from other people.

The board unanimously passed a memorandum of understanding between Havre Public Schools and Havre Education Association. 

"This outlines a small committee that will be charged with looking at formerly proposed calendars for next year and taking into some other considerations, some flexibilities that we've already agreed to in the facilitated bargaining process. One of those is changing the start date of the beginning of school and moving it to the third Monday of August," Mueller said. 

The second part of the memorandum outlines for a larger committee to look at flexible scheduling. This could include a four-day school week as the regular schedule and other scheduling options that other districts have engaged with. 

Mueller announced at the meeting that a 2008 Coach bus was purchased for $55,050 for the district. It is under maintenance to remove the bathroom in the bus in order to create more seating.

Insurance, with a zero percent increase, was renewed unanimously by the board.

Mueller's contract as superintendent was approved unanimously on first reading. 

The board also approved a request by North Star School District 99 to cross boundaries into school district A for the purpose of picking up high school students. This is voted on every year by the school board. 

The board approved the following revisions to district policies unanimously during the meeting.

Revisions to District Policy 5130 on first reading staff health, preplacement physical program revisions.

Revisions to District policies 1700 uniform complaint procedure, 3225P sexual harassment of students procedures and 5012P sexual harassment of employees procedures on first reading. 

Revisions to District policy 3310 student discipline on first reading.

Revisions to district policy 3130 Students of legal age on first reading.

Revisions to district policies 5120P, 5120F, 5120f1 5120f2 and 5122f on first reading all dealing with complying with the Montana department of justice in the instance of processing fingerprints and confidential criminal justice information.

Revisions to district policy 5232 child abuse and neglect reporting on first reading. 

Revisions to district policies 5228P 5228F 5228F on first reading all relating to implementation of the commercial drivers license drug and alcohol clearing house.

Revisions to district policy 5328P FMLA procedures on first reading.

Revisions to district policies 7720 and 7720P the use of federal title one funds.

Revisions to district policy 1015FE personalized learning opportunities on first reading.