New measures in place after Libby schools reopen

Following a two-week closure owing to concerns that the coronavirus was spreading within the Libby Elementary School, officials have instituted more precautions to avoid an outbreak or future quarantine orders.

Speaking at a Nov. 2 school board meeting, Superintendent Ron Goodman said the Libby Middle High School and the elementary school, which reopened on Oct. 28, were in phase one of the district’s coronavirus plan. In this stage, educators are focusing on reducing the mixing of students.

At the elementary school, administrators are keeping students in their classrooms during lunch periods rather than grouping them together in the cafeteria.

The middle high school, which switched to remote learning curricula for a week, welcomed in-person learners back to campus on Oct. 26. To reduce contact between students during class changes, Goodman said the school had switched to a block schedule.

While students will now see each of their teachers once every two days, the longer periods will be beneficial for classes that require more continuous instruction, like lab courses. Goodman noted that before the pandemic, middle and high schools had successfully used block scheduling.

“I’m okay with it. I’ve got skin in the game, I’ve got a kid in the building,” he said.

Lori Benson, a school board member, also voiced her support for the new schedule during the Nov. 2 meeting.

Keeping groups of students from coming in close contact for extended periods is also critical as health officials have updated quarantine policies. Previously, contact tracers would seek out anyone who had spent 15 minutes within six feet of a person who had tested positive for the virus. In an Oct. 28 interview, Goodman said health officials would issue quarantine orders to anyone who spent a cumulative 15 minutes within six feet of a person known to have the virus.

This means if a student were to come in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus for five minutes, three times throughout the day, health officials would ask him or her to quarantine.

While the district has seen cases of the virus spread between staff in the elementary school, Goodman noted that health department officials have not identified any cases of the virus that between students or jumped from a student to staff. If health officials were to find the virus was being transmitted again in school buildings, the school’s coronavirus guidelines call for classes to return to a fully remote schedule.

Goodman said the phase one restrictions will likely be kept in place until the number of active cases in Lincoln County drops below 40 or countywide community spread of the virus is stopped. The 40-case threshold comes from guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health department officials have defined community spread as occurring when five or more cases of the virus within the county have untraceable sources, according to Goodman.

On the day of the school board meeting, county health officials announced 66 active cases of the virus. With a count that is still well above the CDC threshold, Goodman said it may be a while before schools can return to a less restrictive phase of the guidelines.