Billings schools are going to re-open on their normal date of August 24th but with extra safety precautions in place. “We are planning to have two instructional models available for our students,” stated Billings School District 2 Superintendent, Greg Upham.
“We will have live instructional starting at its normal time, and we are working on establishing a remote instructional system for those who request it.” Students, families, and faculty who have special requirements in relation to the coronavirus will be able to request remote learning.
However, for both faculty and students who are attending on-location classes, extensive safety measures are going to be set in place. “We will be enforcing the usage of face coverings, encouraging physical distancing, and making sure people maintain good hand hygiene,” said Upham. “We are going to be going into what is referred to as ‘restrictive mode.’ That means there will be no field trips, open-houses, guest speakers, and the like. We will be encouraging as much outdoor teaching as possible,” he continued. “Along with this, we will only be allowing essential personnel onto our locations. We will be discouraging any large gatherings as best as we can.” Their main goal is to restrict unneeded traffic as much as possible by making sure that only necessary people are allowed on location. All activities and sports will be available for both the remote and live instructional students. “Safety measures will be followed as closely as possible during the activities, but we will continue with them as expected,” Upham said.
“I would encourage people to stay in touch,” he added. “I hold a daily live broadcast on FaceBook where I answer questions and offer any information we have. You can find the information for that on our website (billingsschools.org).” The district is maintaining their flexibility as new information becomes available. “As things change, we need to be able to adapt. Safety is of utmost importance to us.”
