COVID-19 safety protocols for HPS still being discussed as national spike continues

As COVID-19 cases rise in the U.S., Havre Public Schools Superintendent Craig Mueller said proposed COVID-19 protocols for the 2021-22 school year are still being discussed and the issue of mask requirements will be discussed at a special meeting of the Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees Aug. 17.

The issue will not be covered at the Aug. 10 board meeting.

The U.S.’s most recent spike is being driven primarily by the Delta variant, a more contagious strain of the virus that affects younger people The Delta variant severely than the normal strain. which now accounts for the majority of new cases in the country as vaccination efforts stagnate.

In the wake of this spike the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its guidance on school safety protocols including the recommendation that unvaccinated students wear masks in school.

Mueller said he’s been speaking with the Hill County Health Department about COVID-19 safety protocols for HPS and he’s hoping to update the schools’ website with a rundown of the district’s plans at the end of this week.

He said the recent spike in cases, driven by the Delta variant, is very concerning to him, especially given recent numbers in Hill County.

“If you’d asked me two weeks ago I would have told you I’m not really that concerned at all,” he said. “But now our positivity rate in Hill County is over 10 percent again.”

He said the fact that the CDC is putting out more and more guidance having to do specifically with positivity rate, Hill County’s recent trends are scary, especially given the area’s relatively low vaccination rate.

“Am I fearful of where the numbers are? Most definitely,” Mueller said. “I really wish we were in a different place.”

He said Montana schools have all received recommended language to add to their masking policies which would shift based on this metric and that language will be discussed at future board meetings.

Mueller said he understands people in the community have strong opinions about masks and he asked that people concerned about the issue consider taking those concerns directly to him or board members instead of talking about them at board meetings.

He said the rules of the board prevent members and himself from directly addressing or responding to concerns brought before them and it would be more effective if community members would engage them in a setting where conversations can be a two-way-street.

He said community input on the issue is vital, but he would like the opportunity to discuss people’s concerns with them.

Mueller said he understands why community members feel the way, they do, especially when the schools rules differ from that of the rest of the county, but he appreciates those who understand that a school environment is unique among these settings, and having different rules is often merited.

He said a student may have conditions that make COVID-19 especially dangerous to them and because that condition may not be obvious it’s especially important for the schools to be careful.

Mueller said the issue of masks will not be addressed at the Aug. 10 board meeting because board members have a deluge of policy changes that need to be individually discussed and implemented and they feel they wouldn’t be giving the issue its due attention if they just tacked it onto the back of a meeting that is already poised to be extremely long.

He said the special meeting of the board Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m. will specifically be devoted to the issue of mask policy where members of the board can discuss the matter at length.

Until then, he said, he will continue to monitor the situation and speak with the health department to provide the most well-informed policy recommendations he can.

“First and foremost, we want students and staff to be safe,” he said.

In the meantime, he said, he’s working to put together a rundown of the district’s safety plans for this coming year, which he hopes will be ready around the end of this week.