Libby Middle High School switches to remote learning

The Libby Middle High School will move to a fully remote schedule on Nov. 12 for most of the month.

Under the district’s coronavirus guidelines, schools will move to a remote learning schedule if health department officials determine the virus is spreading within buildings. While Goodman said health officials are not yet sure if the virus was spreading within the middle high school, he decided to close the school after a high number of students and staff were infected.

As of Nov. 11, 10 students and staff members had tested positive for the virus. Five staff members and 100 students from the middle high school were in quarantine. Goodman expected these numbers to increase as health department officials continue contact tracing efforts.

“We have to balance safety and education,” Goodman said. “Right now it's not safe for students.”

According to the release, the middle high school is set to resume in-person learning on Nov. 30. While a quarantine period usually lasts 14 days, Goodman said he decided to extend the school closure until the end of the month because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Goodman said he would like to organize a mass testing effort for district staff, like he did when the Libby Elementary School closed due to coronavirus concerns in October. With the rising number of active cases in the county, however, he was uncertain if health department officials would be available to conduct another testing drive.

The elementary school, Plummer Preschool and Head Start school will continue offering in-person classes. Four staff members and nine students were in quarantine at the elementary school as of Nov. 11, according to Goodman.

Earlier this week, a rising number of teachers in quarantine and a dearth of substitutes at the elementary school required administrators to move two classes to remote schedules. Andrew Stiger*, elementary school principal, told school board members during a Nov. 9 meeting that a kindergarten and second grade class were sent home after the number of school staff in quarantine jumped from two to four that afternoon.

“We don’t have any subs. I had to beg my dear friends at the [Libby] Middle High School for a body today,” said Stiger.

As of Nov. 11, Goodman said the school had freed up a substitute and were looking to bring the two classes in remote learning back to classrooms soon.

Goodman warned parents in the Nov. 11 press release that as the number of coronavirus cases continues to increase in the area, there is a greater likelihood of school switching between in-person instruction and virtual learning.

“Continue to make preparations for virtual learning and other needs connected to changes in school schedules,” he wrote.

In response to the two-week closure of the elementary school and a one-week closure of the middle high school in October, administrators across the district instituted new sets of guidelines designed to reduce the likelihood of mass quarantines.

At the elementary school, staff now keep students isolated in their classrooms during lunch period rather than having them mix in the cafeteria. Administrators have also created new zones outside to keep students separated while they wait to enter classrooms in the mornings.

Thanks to coronavirus relief funds, Stiger said school employees were able to place sensor-activated hand sanitizing stations throughout the school and install sensor-activated sinks in every bathroom.

Following their one-week remote learning stint, administrators experimented for three days with keeping students isolated in cohorts of 20 or less.

“It’s probably not the best situation for us but … it's something we could do if we had to,” said Vanworth-Rogers.

Before going fully remote this week, middle high school administrators switched to a block schedule designed to limit contact between students and staff while affording classes some mobility. With longer periods, Vanworth-Rogers said teachers have more freedom in how they choose to break up their class time.

Looking at academic data gathered at the beginning of the fall, Stiger partially attributed a drop in reading levels at the elementary school to the school’s shift to a remote schedule in the spring. Since students were welcomed back into classrooms this year, Stiger noted that reading scores across all grade levels have greatly improved.

“Across the board, we are moving in the right direction,” Stiger said. “It’s just a huge indication of when kids are in school, they're exposed to knowledge. They are absolute sponges.”

During the remote learning period, middle high school parents may pick up meals for their students at locations across Libby. The full list of pickup sites may be found on the school district website.

*The spelling of Stiger's name has been corrected