SCSD#1 Staff and Families

I met with emergency management personnel this afternoon and received a thorough update on the status of the fire and the impact near our school district boundaries. As we can all see, the winds on Friday and Saturday pushed a good portion of the fire along the mountains toward Story and the ranches to the south and southwest of Sheridan and Big Horn. To be clear, we have staff and families from both sides (Big Horn and Tongue River) of the district that have been impacted.

The winds this weekend not only created havoc with the fire, but especially for our staff and families living within the Tongue River Valley, sent people into crisis mode. I have been in communication with countless families and staff members who have barely slept in the last day and a half. When the entire town of Dayton went into the “Set” status, literally the entire TR valley dropped everything and started preparing to evacuate. Whether you lived in Dayton or not, so many people were involved in helping those in Dayton, and have been going non-stop all weekend. So what is the plan for SCSD#1 Schools on Monday and the balance of next week?

*EXCEPT IN RARE CIRCUMSTANCES – When a town is in the “Set” (ready to evacuate) or “go” (evacuate) position, students in that town will not be attending school in person. When there is no warning status, or if we are in the “Ready” status, we will continue in person taking all of the necessary precautions for safety (evacuation preparedness, air quality decisions, etc.).

Tongue River Schools

Monday, Oct. 7

*All schools on the Tongue River side of the school district will be closed on Monday, Oct. 7 with no expectation of virtual learning. Why wouldn’t we go virtual at TRHS? Why wouldn’t we go in person at TRE and TRMS? Because we have a “rare circumstance” in that the people in the TR Valley this last weekend, having been just placed in the “Set” (get ready to evacuate) status. We need to give people a day to rest, recover, and be ready for life transitioning out of immediate crisis mode.

When looking ahead, there may be some good news on the horizon for the schools on the TR side of the district. While Dayton will likely still be in the “Set” status on Monday morning, there are encouraging signs that the status will improve in the coming hours and days if the weather and conditions maintain as forecasted. If the status in Dayton changes from “Set” to “Ready” tomorrow, that would be a significant improvement and would mean we are not in immediate danger of having to evacuate. This would allow our athletic teams to practice in the afternoon. I will stay in touch with my administrative team regarding athletics and activities and we will communicate out accordingly.

Tuesday, Oct. 8 – Thursday, Oct. 10

TRE and TRMS will plan to go in person on Tuesday and for the balance of the week. TRHS will be online if Dayton is in the “Set” status. If Dayton is in the “Ready” status, TRHS will be in person.

*Slack Elementary School

Emergency Management Personnel is recommending Slack NOT be in person for the next few days. We will re-evaluate daily. Principal Fuhrman has been in touch and will create an alternative plan based on each family’s circumstances.

*Homecoming activities will go forward at TRHS if Dayton is moved from “Set” to “Ready” status. If Dayton remains in “Set” then those activities will be postponed. The administration from TRHS and TRMS will announce more details tomorrow based on the situation.

Big Horn Schools

While the proximity of the Big Horn Schools is not as close to the mountains (similar to TRE and TRMS in Ranchester), we know that families and staff living southwest and west of the school campus have already been impacted. At this time, there is no warning status (Ready, Set, Go) for the Big Horn School campus. School in Big Horn will be as normal on Monday. We will continue to monitor the situation hourly and communicate with ALL District Staff and Families whenever things change in Big Horn.

*Also, the Elk Fire Emergency Management Team will be planning a town meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 9th at 7 p.m. to be held at BHHS. Details on this meeting will be announced soon by the Emergency Management Team.

In closing, I know shutting schools down on Monday in Tongue River may cause some struggles for some of our families in the Tongue River Valley. Please know this was not overlooked and was taken into full consideration. However, based on the overwhelming information I have gathered over the last 24 hours, and because my first responsibility is to my staff, I really need to give them a day to recover from being in crisis mode, non-stop, for the past 48 hours. Please stay safe and we will continue to pray for our fire fighters, emergency responders, and families impacted.

Jeff Jones,

Superintendent