Thirty Minnesota schools have reported coronavirus outbreaks of five or more infected students and staff in their buildings in the last week, including two in Ramsey County.
St. Thomas More in St. Paul and Central Middle School in White Bear Lake are the first Ramsey County schools to report outbreaks.
Since the start of the school year, 74 schools statewide have reported at least five people in their buildings while infectious within a two-week period. That number took a significant jump this week as the state continues to see record numbers of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
The Minnesota Department of Health on Thursdays posts new data on how the pandemic is affecting K-12 schools and colleges.
One report shows that more counties than ever — 34 out of 87 — have enough recent cases that officials should consider closing all schools in favor of distance learning.
However, state education officials say it’s more important for districts to examine how the virus is spreading within their school communities.
CHANGING PLANS
Many school districts are changing their plans in light of rising case rates.St. Paul Public Schools, which has only a few hundred special-education students getting in-person instruction and services, announced Friday that everyone else would continue learning from home till at least Jan. 19.
Anoka-Hennepin middle and high school students reverted to distance learning this week, although school sports will continue and elementary students are learning in-person twice a week. South Washington County Schools announced it’ll make the same moves starting Nov. 16.
In Roseville, a gradual transition toward in-person learning has been halted. Instead, grades pre-K-3, as well as special education students and English language learners, will transition to distance learning Nov. 16.
“I know that this will be a frustrating decision for many families, and may place hardships on our community members who are already dealing with unprecedented challenges during this time,” the Roseville Area district said. “But we believe it is necessary in order to protect the health and safety of our students, families and staff.”
COUNTY NUMBERS
The latest county-level report, which covers test samples taken Oct. 11-24, shows that:
- No county had fewer than 10 new cases per 10,000 residents, which means school leaders should consider teaching all students in-person every day while taking precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
- Three counties had new case rates of 10-20 per 10,000 residents, which suggests elementary students can go to school full-time while middle and high school students go part-time to allow for social distancing.
- 12 counties had 20-30 new cases per 10,000 residents, suggesting all students can go to school part-time.
- 38 counties had a new case rate over 30, allowing elementary students to attend part-time while secondary students learn from home.
- And 34 had a new case rate over 50, suggesting all K-12 students should be in distance learning.