This week, I had a conversation with U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to discuss national responses to the COVID-19 outbreak and how the U.S. Department of Education can assist Montana schools. I encouraged flexibility for Montana schools. We also discussed equitable alternative education delivery and what that looks like in rural Montana, especially for special education and other at-risk student groups.

As communities across Montana were forced to rapidly adapt in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, I was encouraged by how deliberately school administrators, teachers, and families s...