COVID-19 Response
Montana Schools May Reopen as Soon as May 7
(Updated April 27) Governors of seven states still are not telling anyone whether their
schools will reopen or remain closed through the end of the school
year, which draws ever closer. Thirty-nine states have mandated closures through the end of the school year, and
four more states have recommended, but not mandated, closure through
the remainder of the school year.
Montana falls into that last category.
That state’s Office
of Public Instruction issued a recommendation April 9 that districts
keep their schools closed for the rest of the spring semester.
However, two weeks later, Montana
Gov. Steve Bullock announced as a part of a phased reopening of the
state that district leaders may decide for themselves whether they
will resume in-person instruction or not.
According to a new Montana directive, that may happen as soon as May
7. The directive also explicitly allows schools to remain closed and
continue to receive funding for providing remote instruction.
According to information released by the governor’s office: “On
May 7, all schools will have the option to return to in-classroom
teaching delivery at the discretion of local school boards. The
Directive does not preclude school boards from declaring local
emergencies to continue to receive all appropriate state funding to
continue to provide remote learning.”
Montana recently ran a poll of its citizens on whether schools should
remain closed through the end of the academic year. The results of
that poll have not been posted.
Further
details about all state actions on school closures with links to
executive orders can be found here.