Bismarck Public Schools Back To In Person Classes In October?

Plans are being worked on to send Bismarck Public Middle and High Schools back to ALL in person classes in mid to late October.  According to an article in the Bismarck Tribune, elementary students return to in person classes in Bismarck on Tuesday.  For parents who both work, having elementary kids back to full-time in person classes will be a welcome relief.  This will allow both parents to be able to go back to work or not having to worry about daycare.

As far as sending middle and high school students back to all in person learning, this is also something that will be welcomed by most parents.  Including this parent of a Bismarck High Schooler.  It's obvious to me, that most parents I've talked to are very much in favor of cutting the cord on the Hybrid model, and get back to normal classes.  For most parents this can't come fast enough.  However, there are some parents who are hesitant of going back to face to face learning.

Unfortunately, the number of COVID-19 cases in Burleigh County continues to be a concern.  For most of the last few weeks, we've continued to lead the state in coronavirus cases..  In fact, according to the North Department of Health, since the pandemic began, Burleigh county has had more cases of coronavirus than any other county in the state.  Monday, Burleigh County led the state again with 69 positive cases of coronavirus.

There were 45 active cases of COVID-19 among students and four staff cases within the Bismarck Public Schools  district as of Sunday, according to the Bismarck Tribune's article, and the district’s coronavirus case dashboard. However, 40 staff and 357 students are out of school as close contacts.  That number no doubt is concerning for those on both sides of the issue.

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