Bozeman School Board Votes to Put Students in Class 2-Days a Week
Monday night, the Bozeman School Board opted to begin the school year with students in class only two days a week because of the coronavirus. This was the plan submitted by new Bozeman School's Superintendent Bob Connors and it was approved with a 5-3 vote.
When news of the blended plan (2 days a week in-classroom instruction/3 days a week distance learning) was announced two weeks ago, there was considerable pushback from some parents who felt that their kids should return to school full-time despite the current pandemic.
In a survey sent out by the school district in July, a reportedly 85% of parent's responding said they wanted to see their kids back in school full-time when the fall semester started. Last week, several parents and even some students, protested the blended plan in front of the school district's offices on Main Street.
The plan that was agreed to by the school board last night would divide the students up by last name and have half attending school on Monday & Tuesdays, while the other half would be in the classroom on Wednesday & Thursdays. The other three days students would attend school virtually.
It looks like Belgrade, Manhattan, and Three Forks school districts all plan to have students in class full-time when school opens for the new year. All will be following guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
In other news from last nights Bozeman School Board meeting, the Board voted 8-0 to move the school year opening back to September 8th to give teachers additional time to train for distance learning.