Survey posted for elementary school families

Libby educators are casting an eye toward what the coming school year might look like and asking parents for help.

Public schools closed by order of Gov. Steve Bullock in mid-March as the COVID-19 pandemic steadily worsened elsewhere in the nation. Although the governor allowed schools to reopen — while following added health and safety rules — as of May 7, few districts took the opportunity to resume in-person teaching.

In Libby, officials opted to retain remote learning. Given the restrictions on the size of public gatherings, a return to regular teaching seemed impossible, Superintendent Craig Barringer said at the time. Parents and guardians likewise expressed little enthusiasm for sending their children back to school en masse, he said.

With classrooms in the school buildings largely empty for the final few weeks of the school year, educators are preparing for the fall. A 2020-21 school year planning survey is available for families on the elementary school’s website.

“We realize that information is changing daily [and] weekly, and a lot may change from now until the Fall 2020 school year,” elementary school officials wrote on social media. “Please answer the questions based on where you stand today. We realize this may change by August.”

The three-part questionnaire asks parents for their children’s grade level and what method of education they prefer: a return to normalcy, a half-day schedule to allow for smaller groups of children or remote learning.

The survey also asks parents to evaluate the district’s extended learning packets and offer suggestions.

The survey is posted at https://www.libbyschools.org/les/.