WILLOW CREEK, Mont. (AP) — A tiny public school in Montana will be among the first in the U.S. to resume classroom teaching this week after being closed for nearly two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Willow Creek School is opening Thursday for its 56 students aged pre-kindergarten to high school.

School officials say they can safely do so because of the school's small size.

They added that anybody who doesn't follow social distancing guidelines will be sent home.

Very few other Montana schools are taking the option of reopening on Thursday.

The vast majority of U.S. schools plan to remain closed the rest of the semester.

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