Minneapolis Public Schools students return to in-person learning after 2 weeks online
Minneapolis Public Schools
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - After two weeks of online classes, Minneapolis Public Schools students are returning to in-person learning starting Monday.
Earlier this month on Jan. 14, Minneapolis Public Schools transitioned to online learning due to COVID-19 impacts on transportation staffing and cold weather. The district announced Wednesday that students will be returning to in-person learning on Monday.
Teachers will have the next two days to prepare for the transition. Students will have their last online learning day after a morning check-in on Thursday and officially return to school physically on Monday. There will be no school for students on Friday, allowing teachers to get ready.
The district says if schools return to online learning in the future, it will be on a school-by-school basis. There are no guidelines or parameters for switching a school to online learning at this time.
Minneapolis Public Schools says it will continue to monitor staff absences and other school data, as having staff available is critical to keeping students in-person. If a school does switch to online learning again, the district says it will try to give staff and students a heads-up as soon as possible and is encouraging students to continue bringing their devices home every day in the meantime.
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Afterschool and community education programming are also returning after being canceled/postponed earlier this month. Student transportation, including bus stops and times, will continue as normal.
Minneapolis Public School requires face coverings and recommends social distancing for all. In the last week, the district reported 308 new positive cases of COVID-19 among 162 adults and 146 students. Approximately 88.3% of the district's staff are fully vaccinated, according to Minneapolis Public Schools' COVID-19 Data Dashboard.