Sense of normalcy returns as students head back to class
Patrol Officer Michelle O’Neil of the Kalispell Police Department walks the halls at Hedges Elementary in Kalispell on Tuesday. This was going to be O’Neil’s day off, but when she was asked if she was available to help make students and parents feel safe about returning to school, she took on the extra duty. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
School Resource Officer Ryan Zebro, right, and Patrol Officer Reece Stahlberg talk with the staff at the front office at Whitefish High School on Tuesday, September 19. In the background are home coming directions. Homecoming had been scheduled for September 15, but had to be put on hold as the law enforcement community investigated the threat that caused schools across the Flathead to be closed.(Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
Detail of a badge of a Sr. Special Agent with the BNSF Police Officer standing watch at the Columbia Falls Junior High on Tuesday, September 19. Many members of the law enforcement community have stepped up to have their presence seen and felt at schools around the Flathead Valley. In addition to the police departments and Sheriff’s Office school security was bumped up by officers from BNSF, the Border Patrol, Fish and Game and Montana Highway Patrol and the National Forest Service. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)
The sounds of children in classrooms and hurrying in the hallways could once again be heard Tuesday as school resumed across the Flathead Valley after three days of being canceled due to cyber threats.
Many administrators reported that the day was fairly quiet. As Evergreen School District Superintendent Laurie Barron explained, “Schools followed their regular schedules without disruption. The recess schedule was only interrupted by rain, which we were all happy to see.”
School districts throughout the valley held informational meetings for families and the community on Monday precluding students’ return.
Despite the ramped-up law enforcement presence at schools valleywide, attendance was still impacted, which was anticipated by school officials. Various school districts experienced attendance ranging from 70 to more than 90 percent.
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