St. Paul Public Schools officials said Thursday evening that the district is taking steps to adopt a recommendation to begin the upcoming school year with all students learning remotely.
The announcement followed an afternoon news conference in which Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz outlined the criteria districts should consider in deciding when to fully reopen schools for in-person instruction, which include local infection rates, school building capacities and several other factors.
SPPS officials have been consulting with the Minnesota departments of education and health, as well as city officials, to determine the best course of action.
“The leading recommendation is that SPPS will plan to start the school year in distance learning for all students,” a Thursday update for district families read. Depending on when the infection rate in Ramsey County begins to decline, district officials “will look at returning to a hybrid or in-person learning scenario later this fall.”
“We are seeking the approval of a resolution that will provide Superintendent Joe Gothard the powers to exercise the learning scenarios SPPS will implement during a pandemic,” the update continued. “The resolution will shape how a successful 2020-21 reopening moves forward, including a presentation of information that will be shared during next week’s Committee of the Board meeting.”
District officials also said they have retooled their approach to distance learning to make it more personalized, collaborative and synchronized.
Families who prefer not to send their children back to in-person classes when schools reopen will have the option to enroll in a 100 percent distance learning program, which will be available to students in pre-kindergarten through high school.
Gothard will hold an online town hall meeting next Thursday at 6:30 p.m., where families can learn more about the district’s plans for the fall. A link will be posted to the SPPS website.