Gov. Steve Bullock (D) releases new standards for safely opening schools. | Courtesy of Facebook
Gov. Steve Bullock (D) releases new standards for safely opening schools. | Courtesy of Facebook
As COVID-19 continues to be a cause for concern, Kenneth Walsh, Republican candidate for the 71st District of Montana’s House of Representatives, shared his opinion on how and why schools should reopen in the fall.
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services issued a press release sharing Gov. Steve Bullock’s (D) plan for reopening the state’s schools. The release states that schools will make accommodations for students and teachers who are immunocompromised, limit occupancy for more social distancing, guide students and staff on traffic flow within the schools, clean and disinfect thoroughly, quarantine in certain cases, make changes to transportation schedules, and make necessary adjustments for sports and extracurricular activities.
Walsh said that he believes that it is important, if possible, to get students back in the classroom.
“Whether that is full-time or a somewhat reduced schedule with a combination of in-classroom or virtual classroom,” Walsh told Southwest Montana News. “It is critically important that decisions need to be made at the local level to allow for local collaboration with all stakeholders. There are lots of risks with any options, so there needs to be flexibility and understanding.”
Walsh said that since schools play an important role in the community, especially rural communities, there is much more at stake than simple education for many children.
“Schools are the constant and social fabric of rural communities. They are a major source of community pride and involvement,” Walsh said.
While there are certainly challenges associated with getting students back to school at this time, Walsh said that there are options to approach the situation creatively “to continue to think outside of the box and seek alternatives that will allow for forward-thinking and success for our students.”
In Walsh’s opinion, the importance of education is so valuable that Montana needs to take the right steps to get students back to the classroom.
“Education is critically important to the success of future generations, and our society,” Walsh said.
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