The current 14-day rate of coronavirus infections in Minnesota counties is the key metric state leaders will use to help school districts determine whether it is safe to hold classes in person.
If rates climb above 10 new cases per 10,000 residents, officials will recommend older students be taught in a hybrid model, where school buildings are used at 50 percent capacity. Meanwhile, schools in counties that exceed 50 cases per 10,000 residents should hold all classes online.
Those metrics are how Gov. Tim Walz, along with state and health officials, are providing guidance to education leaders around the state as the 2020-21 school year approaches. Walz emphasized the benchmarks are not set in stone and decisions will be made by local leaders with input from the state.
“By bringing together the local education leaders who know their students, staff, and communities the best, and the public health experts who know the virus the best, this plan will help determine a learning model that makes the most sense for each community,” Walz wrote in a letter to school officials outlining the plans and released Thursday.
The Democratic governor said the plan was complex, but added he was confident it was feasible.
“COVID isn’t easy,” Walz said. “COVID doesn’t care this is hard work.”
THRESHOLD BREAKDOWNS
In the coming weeks, state health and education officials will tell Minnesota’s school leaders the severity of their communities’ coronavirus outbreaks. That will help them decide which model to use when classes begin.
Outbreak data will be closely monitored and state officials are expected to routinely update its recommendations. State health officials reserve the right to step in should a district’s coronavirus caseload get out of hand.
Here’s the specific breakdown of where cases need to be for different types of instruction:
- Cases below nine per 10,000: In-person learning for all students.
- Ten to 19 cases per 10,000: In-person for elementary students and hybrid learning for others.
- Twenty to 29 cases per 10,000: Hybrid for all students.
- Thirty to 49 cases per 10,000: Hybrid for younger students and distance learning for secondary students.
- More than 50 cases per 10,000: Distance learning for all students.
Under these thresholds, current infection rates suggest just nine districts and charters would be recommended to only use distance learning. There are 344 schools where a mix of in-person and online learning would be recommended and 181 where all students should be taught in person.
FOCUS ON YOUNGER LEARNERS IN CLASS
State and national health data have shown that younger people are at lower risk of developing serious cases of COVID-19. The benchmarks Walz announced Thursday use that growing evidence to prioritize having younger learners in classrooms.
If infections grow in a county, older students will be the first ones to move to online learning part of the time. Prioritizing younger students in classrooms will also help working parents struggling with child care and address the struggles elementary schools students faced learning online previously.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the mother of a 7-year-old second grader, acknowledged that the approaching school year represented a lot of tough decisions for both parents and educators.
“There are parents who want their kids in schools and there are parents who are not ready,” Flanagan said. “There are teachers and staff who are incredibly limited or unable to do their job through distance learning and teachers and staff who are afraid to return.”
WHAT IS HYBRID LEARNING?
Hybrid learning is a mix of in-person classes and distance learning such as online classes.
When students are at school, the hybrid model requires six feet of social distancing at all times with buildings and buses being used at 50 percent capacity. Districts must also have adequate staff to ensure students are taught equitably and safely.
There were large disparities in access to rigorous distance learning during the spring because of limits on equipment and internet access. Under the new plan, districts must provide equitable distance learning opportunities to all students.
Any families can opt into distance learning if they prefer to learn from home.
State officials said the safety of staff also is a top priority and teachers will be given the option of working from home. Walz acknowledged that districts may struggle to offer in-person courses if many teachers opt to provide instruction from a distance.
RELATED: School reopenings to follow county-level coronavirus data. How that might look today.
MASKS, TESTS AND CLEANING
All students and staff will be required to wear masks throughout the school day. State leaders will help districts provide protective gear for students and staff, including face shields for teachers who work with younger students and when masks may interfere with instruction.
Districts also will get a portion of $250 million in federal coronavirus response funding to cover the cost of protective supplies and routine cleaning of school buildings.
The health of students and staff will be closely monitored. If there are cases of coronavirus in a school building, testing will be made available to students and staff.
School leaders will work with state officials to determine the best way to respond to outbreaks.
“We all recognize that COVID-19 is going to continue to impact our schools and our communities for months to come, but those impacts are varied and hard to predict,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said. “It is important for the well-being of Minnesota children that we get this right, and that we have solid and flexible plans in place to adapt to the COVID-19 challenge.”
REACTIONS FROM TEACHERS, SCHOOL LEADERS AND LAWMAKERS
Teachers have expressed their desire to return to school buildings if they can do it safely, but there’s ongoing concerns from educators that there’s a lot that still needs to be done to ensure safe schools.
“We cannot be bullied by arbitrary start dates on the calendar or settle for ‘safe enough’ because that’s all an underfunded district can afford. In-person and hybrid learning shouldn’t start until our schools are ready,” said Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota, the state teachers union.
Lawmakers had praise, questions and criticism for the Democratic governor’s approach. Republicans have been adamant in recent weeks that local leaders should play a big role.
“Parents and educators want clarity on what the school year will look like, but they didn’t get it today,” said Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester, who chairs the Senate education committee. “I’m glad the governor is focused on informed flexibility. Yet I am gravely concerned about state bureaucrats rather than locally elected school board members making decisions about school openings.”
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party leaders in the Minnesota House praised Walz’s detailed guidance. “If it is safe for students, their families, and educators, we all would like to see students in the classroom,” said House Speaker Melissa Hortmen, DFL-Brooklyn Park. “Gov. Walz has put forward reasonable guidelines to help local school districts create safe learning environments.”