Back to School: Opener anything but normal
Ruder Elementary teacher Linda Hopkins, wearing a face shield due to coronavirus concerns, pre-screens children before they enter the school Monday. A steady rain greeted families as school started. (Chris Peterson photo)
Columbia Falls schools started on Monday, but it was anything but a typical school opener.
All students were screened at the door due to coronavirus concerns and students had to wear masks once inside their respective buildings.
Parents weren’t allowed to take students to class.
The School District 6 Board mandated masks for all grades earlier this month, but then Gov. Steve Bullock mandated them for the entire state if a county had more than four active cases.
The kids didn’t seem to mind wearing a mask. In fact, most of them just seemed happy to be back in class and had the typical first-day-of-school smiles on.
But not everyone is going back to the classroom.
About 15% of the school population has opted for remote learning, though superintendent Dave Wick said more parents are now changing their minds — now asking to have their kids return to in-person classes.
“We’re off to a great school start,” Wick said.
The school is also working out some bugs in the system that will allow families to pre-screen kids for fever and other symptoms of coronavirus before getting to school.
Screening students as they came into school Monday resulted in long lines in the rain.
Wick said the screening system should be fixed within the week and students can then just show their code card when they enter school to proove they’ve been screened that day.