SCSD#1 Employees and Families – Sheridan Media

I met with emergency management personnel this afternoon and received a comprehensive update on the status of the fire and impacts near our school district boundaries. As we can all see, the winds on Friday and Saturday pushed much of the fire along the mountains toward Story and the ranches south and southwest of Sheridan and Big Horn. To be clear, we have employees and families on both sides (Big Horn and Tongue River) of the county who are impacted.

The winds this weekend not only caused devastating fire damage, but particularly sent our employees and families in the Tongue River Valley into crisis mode. I have communicated with countless families and staff who have barely slept for the past day and a half. As the entire city of Dayton went into “set” status, literally the entire TR Valley dropped everything and prepared to evacuate. Whether you lived in Dayton or not, so many people were involved in helping the people of Dayton and were out and about non-stop all weekend. So what is the plan for SCSD#1 schools on Monday and the rest of next week?

*EXCEPT IN RARE CIRCUMSTANCES – If a city is in the “set” (ready to evacuate) or “go” (evacuation) position, students in that city will not attend school in person. If there is no alert status or we are in Ready status, we will continue to personally take all necessary safety precautions (evacuation preparation, air quality decisions, etc.).

Tongue River Schools

Monday, October 7th

*All schools on the Tongue River side of the school district will remain closed Monday, October 7, with no virtual learning expected. Why shouldn’t we be virtual at TRHS? Why shouldn't we visit TRE and TRMS in person? Because we have a “rare circumstance” which is that people in the TR Valley were just placed on “set” status (get ready to evacuate) this past weekend. We must give people a day to rest, recover and be prepared to transition out of immediate crisis mode.

Looking ahead, there could be good news on the horizon for schools on the TR side of the district. While Dayton will likely still be in 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 remain as forecast. 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 evacuation. This would allow our sports teams to practice in the afternoon. I will remain in touch with my administrative team regarding athletics and activities and we will communicate accordingly.

Tuesday, Oct. 8th – Thursday, Oct. 10th

TRE and TRMS plan to be there in person on Tuesday and the rest of the week. TRHS will be online when Dayton is in Set status. When Dayton is in Ready status, TRHS will be on site in person.

*Slack Elementary School

Emergency management staff recommends that Slack NOT be on site 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 continue at TRHS as Dayton moves from Set to Ready status. If Dayton remains in the “set,” these activities will be postponed. TRHS and TRMS administration will announce more details tomorrow depending on the situation.

Big Horn Schools

Although 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 are already impacted. There is currently no alert status (Ready, Set, Go) for the Big Horn School campus. School in Big Horn will be in session as usual on Monday. We will continue to monitor the situation hourly and communicate with ALL district staff and families if anything changes in Big Horn.

*In addition, the Elk Fire Emergency Management Team is planning a town meeting on Wednesday, October 9th at the BHHS at 7 p.m. Details of this meeting will be announced shortly by the emergency management team.

Finally, I would like to say that Monday's closure of schools in Tongue River may cause some problems for some of our families in the Tongue River Valley. Please note that this has not been overlooked and has been fully taken into account. However, due to the overwhelming information I have gathered in the last 24 hours, and since my primary responsibility lies with my employees, I absolutely must give them a day to recover from the non-stop crisis mode of the last 48 hours. Please stay Stay safe and we will continue to pray for our firefighters, emergency responders and affected families.

Jeff Jones,

superintendent