GREAT FALLS — The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council announced on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, that the Heart Butte School District will be in a "Remote Learning Model" for a period of about four to six weeks.
Heart Butte School District Superintendent Marcy Cobell said in a news release posted on the BTBC Facebook page that the reason is "unforeseen infrastructure issues."
The main issues are the fire suppression and water systems throughout the school not being up to date, making the school uninhabitable for student and staff safety until they can be replaced.
Cobell explained, “We want to make sure that we're delivering remote learning that is engaging and thoughtful, and actually really meaningful to their learning at this beginning of the year. That's really important, and we want to make sure that we have our ducks in a row, so to speak, so our students are getting the most out of it.”
The news release states:
Please join us with your student on Thursday, August 22nd for a non-traditional school day, between 8:00 am and 1:30 pm, to register your child, receive their online schedule, meet their teacher, receive school supplies, receive a Chromebook, set up appointments with Tribal Health, meet with Blackfeet Tribal Health to set up Mental Health Support, receive information on internet capabilities at your home, receive updated Fall Sports information and get your questions answered from Heart Butte School Administration.
We will also have a Community Feed on Monday, August 26th at 6:00 pm, at the circle in Heart Butte where there will be a Question/Answer session for parents, students and families to get clarity on the Infrastructure challenges. The Heart Butte Board of Trustees, The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, Heart Butte School Administration.
Cobell said: "Your children will receive remote learning, in addition to tutoring and any off-site education needed to accommodate all learning models. We are extremely sorry for this inconvenience, but we assure you we’ve taken every precaution to not only ensure your child’s safety, but also meet the educational needs of every child in our school system. You’ve entrusted your children to us, and we don’t take this responsibility lightly."
She noted that the district is getting assistance from the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, Blackfeet Tribal Health, Tribal Health and Browning Public Schools.
We will update you as we get more information.
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