St. Paul Public Schools will remain in distance learning for 99 percent of its students through the end of the calendar year, but middle and high school sports will continue to be played.
The district said Friday that rising coronavirus cases in the community will prevent them from bringing preschool through 2nd grade back for in-person classes next month.
Ramsey County’s latest two-week case rate is 31 per 10,000 residents. Under state guidelines, that suggests middle and high schools should stay in distance learning but elementary students can safely go to school part-time.
“While the state allows hybrid learning for elementary schools at case rates up to 50, we have chosen to take a more conservative approach when deciding to begin a new stage,” the district said.
St. Paul now says it won’t consider bringing more students back till at least Jan. 19.
The St. Paul district last week delayed the reopening of elementary schools because it still was waiting for air filters to be delivered. Those filters since have arrived, so the rising number of cases in the county is the only readiness target the district now fails to meet.
The 368 special-education students who started going to school twice a week earlier this month will stay on that schedule. That won’t change unless there’s a staffing shortage or a quarantine or deep cleaning is needed.
And the district will keep operating its in-person Academic Support Center for struggling students, as well as school sports.
The Minnesota Department of Education updated its guidance Friday to say that school districts shifting back to distance learning will not need prior approval if they want to keep offering “in-person instruction for students with disabilities, English learners, students experiencing homelessness, students in foster care, and students who are struggling academically.”
The Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school board, which has 664 students and 74 staff in quarantine, decided Thursday night that it would shift middle and high schools to distance learning Nov. 12. Fall sports will continue as usual but winter sports will only practice.
North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale middle and high schools move to distance learning on Monday but sports will continue.
Osseo will make the same move one week later.