Missoula Schools Signal Return to COVID-Style Crackdowns—This Time Over Measles

Missoula County Public Schools appears poised to revive the same heavy-handed public health protocols that defined the COVID era—this time over a handful of measles cases reported in Gallatin County. Despite no confirmed cases in Missoula, district officials have fired off multiple warnings to families and staff, signaling that students who aren’t vaccinated could be barred from school for weeks.

In an April 22 email, MCPS Health Services Coordinator Brooke Krininger declared that unvaccinated students—or those lacking documentation proving immunity—“will be required to stay home for up to 21 days” if a single case is identified at their school. That includes students with legal religious or medical exemptions.

This is the third measles email in recent days. One district employee summed it up bluntly: “They’re treating it like COVID all over again.”

Meanwhile, local public health officials are adding fuel to the fire. Cindy Farr, incident commander with Missoula Public Health and a familiar face from the COVID press tour, is now making the media rounds again. In a recent NBC Montana segment, Farr warned that “we’re just a couple hours away from Gallatin County,” and that “the more that [measles] spreads, the more chance we have of it getting into our community.”

The playbook is clear: fear first, facts later.

The five measles cases reported statewide were all described as involving individuals who were either unvaccinated or had “unknown” vaccination status—a framing that casts suspicion on anyone who doesn’t present paperwork. Once again, vague status equals assumed guilt.

Parents are being told to prepare for potential lockdown-style exclusions—regardless of whether a student is sick, exposed, or has exercised lawful exemptions. The policy doesn’t distinguish between caution and coercion. In practice, it means healthy students could be locked out of their education for weeks, simply for lacking paperwork. And, as MCPS Attorney Elizabeth Kaleva told parents during COVID, the school district doesn’t need parents consent.

This echoes the worst patterns of the COVID years: bureaucrats using minimal risk to justify maximum control, and institutions jumping at the chance to impose sweeping restrictions while media outlets cheer them on.

While measles can pose serious complications for a small portion of the population, Missoula County has zero confirmed cases. Yet school officials and public health spokespeople are gearing up like it’s 2020 all over again.

Montanans remember how quickly that playbook led to closed schools, shuttered businesses, and forced compliance. Now, many are asking: is this about health—or control?