Sheridan County School District #1 Superintendent Jeff Jones addresses school issues amid Elk Fire

Below is release from Sheridan County School District #1 Superintendent Jeff Jones. 

SCSD#1 Staff and Families –

At 11:00 a.m. this morning I held a Zoom meeting with a very large group of administrators and supervisory staff from across the district.  In this meeting, I gathered information regarding the current status of our school district as a result of the fire on the mountain.  Not surprisingly, the impact is getting more and more difficult to manage.  We have a large, growing number of staff members absent because they are either fighting the fire, needing to leave to get to Dayton so they can prepare for the potential of an evacuation, etc.  We have many more staff members who, while they may still be in school, are incredibly shaken because in one way or another, they are greatly impacted by what is happening at this moment.  Our reality is, LIFE needs to be addressed right now….not compound sentences.  The fact is, our district employees in the Tongue River Valley, just like everyone else in this valley, need to focus on life’s priorities at this moment.  With that in mind, as a school district, we need to do our part to make it easier for our staff to take care of themselves, their families, and protect their livelihood.

Therefore, the plan for the schools on the Tongue River side of the school district for the balance of this week is as follows:

TRE and TRMS will dismiss as normal at 4 p.m. today, Wednesday, Oct. 2.  TRHS was online today and Slack was closed.

ALL schools on the Tongue River side of the district (TRE, TRMS, TRHS, and Slack) will be closed on Thursday, Oct. 3.  There will be NO virtual (online) expectation for schooling.

ALL activities on the Tongue River side of the school district are canceled for the balance of the week and weekend.  This includes practices as well as home and away games.  There are scenarios where we simply don’t have bus drivers, coaches, etc.  We also don’t want students to be coming in and out of the parking lot at TRHS to get things to get to a practice or game.  Finally, to be frank, it doesn’t make sense to be playing a ballgame out of town while your family’s home is in jeopardy of burning down.  Every effort will be made to reschedule events.  To those that might be angry that we are canceling all activities for the balance of the week and weekend, please know I didn’t make that decision lightly.  We have people in crisis and the ripple effect of that is enormous right now.  

For families that need some extra time to prepare things in Dayton, we will have staff at TRE and TRMS who are willing to stay longer (after school) with your child/children.  If you need this help this afternoon, please contact your child’s school office.  We will also have plenty of snacks for the kids if they are hungry.

If you need extra space for your campers, trailers, etc., we have extra space near the bus barn in Ranchester.  The fairgrounds in Sheridan is also offering space for storage.

Emergency Management Services has scheduled a town meeting to be held tonight at 7 p.m. at Tongue River Middle School in Ranchester (it was originally scheduled for TRHS but has been moved to TRMS).

Finally, if you have questions, please reach out to your child’s building principal.  If they can’t answer your questions, they will let me know and I will get in touch with you as soon as possible.  Please keep the fire fighters, emergency responders, and families impacted in your continued prayers!!

Jeff Jones,

Superintendent