BOZEMAN — Nearly five hours, 230 attendees, and 8 board members later, and now we have some big changes coming out of the Bozeman school board meeting.
“It’s never been a question of if we were going to go back, it’s when we’re going to go back, and there are so many, so many variables to consider,” said Trustee Sandy Wilson.
Bozeman’s school board met Monday night with hundreds of parents, students, and teachers all watching to see how students will continue learning for the rest of the year.
“Move the high schools to four plus one instruction on January 27th, pending any significant changes in Covid metrics/matrixs data prior to January 27th,” proposed Andy Willett, another board member.
“So motion passes five to three,” Wilson said.
Moving on to middle schools, students will move to five days in-person learning on February 1st, and elementary students will continue the current five days in-person learning.
“I’m going to be pleased to vote for this. It feels like we’re really using the metrics as intended," said Douglas Fischer, another trustee.
That motion passed unanimously seven to zero.
Of course trustees heard public comment from parents and teachers, but this meeting had a lot of students themselves making sure their voices were also heard.
“We need to be in school. We need to learn in-person, seeing each other, being around everybody,” said one student.
“I strongly support staying in the two-day, blended model because I feel like if we were to go back to five days a week that there would be too much quarantining and ultimately we would be forced to go to full online,” another student urged.
“I just wanted to inform the board that the blended model does not work for a large majority of the students at Gallatin High School,” another student exclaimed.
Dozens of others expressed their opinions as well.
The next school board meeting is scheduled online for Monday, January 25th.
