Topic

Schools

News and updates on Montana schools, education policy, and local districts. This archive covers K-12 education, school board decisions, curriculum changes, and statewide education issues. Reports on Missoula County Public Schools’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic are also included.

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Did Kalispell Public Schools Board and Employees Violate Montana Code of Ethics?

This op-ed was originally published at Casey Whalen’s Substack. A recent exposé of emails and text messages show that the upcoming May 2nd Kalispell Public School Board Trustee election has been corrupted by possible violations of the Montana Code of Ethics for public employees. The communications show school district officials and the teachers union President…

Montana Schools Head Gathers All Sides in Billings

Who would gather parents, superintendents and administrators, school board members, union leaders and members, legislators, and community members all in one room and hand a microphone around? No one is that crazy. Yet last Thursday night, that is exactly what happened. Only a humble and gracious person could have a room full of all these…

Missoula School Board Avoids Curriculum Concerns, Discusses Seating New Board Members

Last Tuesday’s meeting of the Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees came to order at 6pm with all trustees present except for Trustee Michael Gehl. Following the pledge of allegiance, the board approved the minutes of the April 12th meeting during which a parent had read the contents of a homework assignment given out by a…

State Superintendent Questions Curriculum Standards at Missoula Schools After Student Sexual Orientation Questionnaire Surfaces

In a call from State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Wednesday night, the head of the Office of Public Instruction told Free Missoula News that her office was notified of the sexual orientation questionnaire shared by a Missoula sex education teacher at Sentinel High School and that the matter is being investigated by her office. Arntzen said…

UPDATED: School Board Notified of Inappropriate Sexual Orientation Questionnaire Distributed by Missoula Teacher

UPDATED (04/13/2021): Post updated to reflect comments from State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen whose office is investigating the situation. A Missoula sexual education teacher distributed a handout titled “Questions for Exploring Sexual Orientation” to Sentinel High School students, according to parents and confirmed by school officials. The questions on the handout asked students to consider changing…

Missoula School Board Adopts Controversial Curriculum Policy

The March 29th Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees meeting began at 6pm starting with The Pledge of Allegiance. Nine trustees were in attendance with Mike Gehl calling in via Zoom. Approximately 35 members of the community were present in the audience for the in-person meeting. Public comment for non-agenda items began with a…

Rossiter: My Picks for Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees

Within a few weeks we will be getting ballots in the mail for a May vote that includes the opportunity to elect some new people to the Missoula County School Board. Recently I had the opportunity to interact with six of the candidates running in 2022.  Each is a parent, and all are running because…

WATCH: Missoula Schools Trustee Declines Mask, Chair Suspends Meeting for “Spreading Germs”

On Tuesday night, the regular meeting of the Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Trustees was suspended by board chair Diane Lorenzen after trustee Mike Gehl declined to wear a mask. An agenda item that was set for discussion was Montana High School Association sports eligibility issues, which the chair mentioned was “popular with…

Lower Student COVID Rate in Mask Optional Schools, Billings Mask Lawsuit, State Data Shows

UPDATED (1/6/2022): Post updated to include letter from Billings teachers union president Douglas Robison discouraging educators from contributing statements to the lawsuit regarding the negative effects of masks on students. Parents in Billings and the non-profit Stand Up Montana filed their 200-page mask lawsuit against Billings Public Schools and Elysian Schools at the end of…

Over 500 Montanans Sign “Vote of Confidence” Letter Supporting State Superintendent

Over 500 Montana signatories including school board trustees from Flathead, Lincoln, Missoula, and Ravalli counties and two-dozen elected officials have signed on to a “Vote of Confidence” letter supporting Montana’s head of schools, State Superintendent of Instruction Elsie Arntzen. “We write to refute the unauthorized “no-confidence” letter recently sent to you by certain school superintendents…

Per MT Law, Vaccinating Children Without Parental Consent Can Result in Civil Liability or Criminal Prosecution

This past Saturday, Lewis and Clark Public Health Department advertised a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at East Helena Public High School aimed at children aged 5-11-years-old. The ad indicated that proof of the child’s name and age was not required and children need only be accompanied by a “caregiver.” How do government employees at a clinic…

University of Montana Unlawfully Discriminates Against Unvaccinated Athletes Requiring Masks and Testing

The UM Athletics Department appears to believe NCAA “recommendations” supersede Montana State Law.

Missoula Schools: Masks Stay Until Children Vaccinated

The Missoula County Public School Board of Trustees met last night to make decisions regarding mask mandates including the terms required to be fulfilled before the school board will allow children to be unmasked. The “COVID-19 Task Force” subcommittee, appointed by the board of the trustees, recommends lifting the mask mandate after the following requirements…

Passing the Buck on Responsibility

“Lawyers are a useful tool. When you feel like you are in a bind, talking to the right lawyer can be such a breath of fresh air. It can be a conversation from which you walk away saying “Phew! I have options I didn’t even realize I had.” Life feels better with options. Life can…

Judge Marks Denies Halt to School Masks, Parents to Consider Appeal to Supreme Court

District Court Judge Jason Marks denied parents request for injunctive relief against Missoula County Public School mask mandates on Friday, issuing a 16-page order that said the parents did not provide sufficient evidence that rights to privacy or dignity were being violated. Judge Marks also said that injunctive relief was denied because parents did not…

Oral Arguments Heard in Parents Mask Lawsuit Against Missoula Schools

Missoula County Court Room 4 was at capacity with families and students this morning for oral arguments in a lawsuit brought by parents against mask mandates from Missoula County schools. Judge Jason Marks allowed extra time for the burgeoning crowd in the lobby overflow area to pull up the Zoom meeting link on their phones.…

Big Sky, Bozeman Parents Sue Schools Over Forced Masking of Children

Bozeman and Big Sky parents join the fight against tyrannical school board trustees in this latest lawsuit, joining Missoula County parents who filed suit against school boards late last month.

Missoula Schools Attorney to Parents: “The District Does Not Need Your Consent”

Missoula County Public Schools attorney Elizabeth Kaleva told the parent of an Alberton School student in an email that the school district “does not need your consent” to coerce students into wearing masks or possible testing requirements. Alberton Superintendent and “Google Certified Teacher” Jeff Crews was included in the email. The school district attorney’s reasoning…