COVID-19 testing forces Bigfork fifth graders to go remote

Bigfork fifth graders will transition to remote learning beginning Tuesday, Sept. 29 through Thursday, Oct. 1, as a number of students and staff are being tested for COVID-19. Once the results come back, the school will determine whether it is necessary to extend this temporary period of remote learning or resume class on campus. Families of fifth grade students were notified of the switch in an email sent late Monday morning. Superintendent Matt Jensen said the school learned of the impending tests that morning, hence the short notice.

“We have a current situation where we have a number of people exhibiting symptoms and are being tested,” Jensen said.

District-wide, there are 77 students currently in quarantine and to date, four students and one staff member have tested positive for the coronavirus. When it comes to COVID-19 on campus, Bigfork School District 38 is not alone -- as of Sept. 23, more than 35 cases have been reported in schools across the Flathead Valley, according to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services. Cases of the virus have spiked statewide in recent weeks and Flathead County now boasts the most cases in any Montana county with 406 active cases as of Monday.

The recent uptick has drawn concern from Jensen, especially given the inconsistencies in following preventative measures like masking that he’s witnessed in the community.

“Frankly, we see many folks comply with safety measures such as masking while on school property, only to abandon the practice while in the community. It is our goal to complete a full school year with onsite learning, but we cannot do it without stronger community support,” Jensen wrote in an email to parents. “Staffing and substitute limitations due to quarantine and/or confirmed COVID cases may likely force us into an online only option.”

And while the issue of wearing or not wearing a mask has become politicized for some, for Jensen following the precautionary measures is a means of keeping students on campus.

“I’m not in the business of politics, I’m in the business of trying to keep kids educated,” he added.

He also noted that in the event staffing is impacted by the virus, resources would be shifted to lower grade levels in an effort to keep K-4 students on campus. Students in fifth grade and beyond would then transition to remote learning, which they adapt to better than their younger counterparts.

“We don’t anticipate this going to full school closures ...what we’re envisioning is temporary short-term virtual and then coming back to on site,” he noted.

To help alleviate the burden of transitioning to remote education for parents, ACES After School program site manager Cathy Hay said she is planning to make her building available to a limited number of students for supervised remote learning so their parents can continue working.

"We will have laptops and internet and everything. [They] can drop their kids off at 8 a.m. and the students can do their online learning here," Hay said. "We’re excited to do that."

Another plus for the school is that COVID-19 testing turnaround times have improved -- Jensen said results are becoming available in just a couple of days. But despite improvements in that regard, the Flathead City-County Health Department has become inundated with increasing volumes of contact tracing. To lessen that burden, Jensen said Bigfork Schools is in the process of becoming deputized to take on part of that role for on-campus cases. The school has already been assisting by identifying possible close contacts through the use of seating charts, but in the future will also be calling close contacts to inform them of their status. Anyone who is contacted will have to go into a 14-day quarantine. The county health department will still be responsible for identifying contacts outside of the school, such as people the student may have interacted with at a family barbecue or community event.