Schools keeping COVID-19 in check so far

When the state Department of Public Health and Human Services updated its initial report on COVID-19 in Montana’s schools on Sept. 23, Lake County showed up for the first time with nine total confirmed cases. While that may appear like an alarming spike, school officials say it’s really a case of reporting catching up to cases that were previously known, and they believe exposure to the virus on campuses has been very low.

Five of the nine cases were attributed to the St. Ignatius School District, which caused a bit of a panic among parents and teachers, officials said. However, Superintendent Jason Sargent on Monday said no one at his schools had been exposed to the virus by any of those cases — two each at the elementary and middle schools, and one at St. Ignatius High School.

“Three of them were from the beginning of the year,” Sargent said. “They weren’t even in school, and it was a month ago. The other two were definitely out of school long before they were diagnosed. We’ve had zero cases of students who could have been exposed to COVID in the St. Ignatius school system.”

The situation was similar in nearby Dixon, where the elementary school with a population of just 52 students, including preschool, showed up on the state report with a single confirmed case. Dixon Elementary principal Crista Anderson said last week that the case involved a student who had been exposed outside of school and had been isolated for the required period, generally at least 14 days, without any exposure occurring at the school.

The other three cases reported by the state came within the Ronan School District, and two of those cases triggered contact-tracing protocols.

Ronan Superintendent Mark Johnston said once a case is diagnosed among the school population, health officials immediately begin investigating who had come in close contact with the person diagnosed with the virus. The standard for “close contact” is within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes.

Ronan has had one case each at its elementary and middle schools, with a third case away from the schools, according to the state. Johnston stressed the need for transparency, noting that once contact tracing has been initiated the district sends out either a mass text message or a notification letter to an entire grade level or a specific class, depending on the situation. The notifications inform parents and teachers that if they haven’t been contacted by health officials, they can assume they were not exposed. Those who have been exposed are subject to isolation measures.

“We’re doing everything in our power to keep kids and our staff safe,” Johnston said Monday. “We want to stay open.”

By comparison, just two cases have been identified in Missoula County to the south, with three others under investigation. That doesn’t include 72 cases at the University of Montana, which has the most cases of any post-secondary institution in the state. No cases have been identified at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo.

To the north, the state reports a total of 51 confirmed cases at Flathead County schools, including 20 at Flathead High School alone.

DPHHS began reporting cases on a school-by-school basis in mid-September and intends to update its data each Wednesday on its website, dphhs.mt.gov.

Meanwhile, Polson schools will transition to a four-day school week beginning Monday. The district had employed an A/B hybrid schedule in which half of students attended classes Mondays and Tuesdays while studying remotely the rest of the week. The other half attended Wednesdays and Thursdays. Fridays were designated primarily for remote learning only.

A transition to the four-day week in early October was outlined in the district’s initial Back to School Plan released prior to the school year. That idea drew harsh criticism, mostly from teachers, during the school board’s Sept. 14 meeting. Many questioned the need for such a transition and whether it was safe.

Polson interim Superintendent Tom DiGiallonardo said Monday that the hybrid schedule always was intended for the first month only, to allow safety protocols to be learned and to allow more one-on-one time with students in assessing individual needs. He said a survey of the district’s parents indicates a majority at all levels support going to either a four- or five-day schedule.

He added that the district will continue to offer remote-only learning throughout the school year.

“We’re much more prepared this year to teach remotely, but it’s still not the best option,” he said. “We know the best option is to have the students in the building every day.”

DiGiallonardo added that the four-day week means less juggling of in-person and remote curricula for teachers since two separate sets of students will come together.

Beyond the school system, the state has reported 277 confirmed cases as of Monday in all of Lake County, with 35 active cases and one fatality. Flathead County has 1,062 confirmed cases, with 406 active cases and 17 deaths.

A total of 12,413 cases have been confirmed across the state, with 3,400 active cases and 174 deaths. Montana has seen a sharp rise in cases the last two weeks, and a one-day record of 346 new cases was reported for Friday.