School closings bring relief for some, challenges for others

The relief Diana Saez felt about closing schools to slow the spread of the coronavirus was quickly met with guilt.

"There's relief, but only for certain people, relief for those who have the means to make that work," she said. "That's a haunting feeling to be in."

Saez has twin 10-year-olds, Will and Penelope, enrolled at Clara Barton Open School in Minneapolis. They were pulled from school last Friday because Penelope has severe asthma and gets pneumonia easily.

"I would say the alarm is not just in this household. My partner and I were having an emotional moment thinking about the scale of this and how many people will be affected and kids in homes not getting what they need. There's a lot of worry all around."

The eight-day closure mandated Sunday by Gov. Tim Walz — effective Wednesday until March 27 — will dovetail with Minneapolis Public Schools' scheduled spring break that kicks off March 30. The district will be open Monday but close Tuesday. Saez said her kids will stay home, and care will be shared among a large family network, which isn't the case for all parents of schoolchildren.

Some parents question whether an eight-day closure is enough to isolate and combat the coronavirus outbreak. But other districts are leaning on past and upcoming spring breaks to extend the closure.

Spring Lake Park School District had a two-week head start on the mandated closure as students have been on spring break since March 5.

Taylor and her 13-year-old daughter, Morgan, have already spent a week in self-isolation at the end of February when her daughter was diagnosed with Influenza B. She went back to school March 2, but only for a few days since the district went on spring break beginning Friday of that week.

Class was to resume Tuesday, but Spring Lake Park Superintendent Jeff Ronneberg extended it until Thursday. Now with the governor's executive order, all public school districts are closed until March 27.

Although Walz's order takes effect on Wednesday, some districts decided to close Monday. That's the case for Wayzata, Elk River, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, St. Paul, Bloomington, Minnetonka and Columbia Heights school districts, where staff will be using the closure as a time to prepare for distance e-learning.

Georgia Dawkins, whose 15-year-old son Matteo attends Columbia Heights High School, was going to pull her teenager from class beginning Monday if not for the executive order. Dawkins' 3-year-old son Marcus has Down syndrome and a compromised immune system. She said she couldn't risk exposing her toddler to the coronavirus. The mother has been working from home the past three years because of Marcus' health, leading a small banking team that oversees retirement plans.

"I can work from home — I'm not cavalier saying that. For me, it's no question. My situation was decided because of my son," she said. "We have to all be personally responsible. We can do this and it will make a big impact."

"I hope people find ways to balance staying informed but not getting overwhelmed and keeping family safe but finding ways to help others in their community," she said.

Minneapolis parents are brainstorming solutions like placing food on front porches and sharing different activities to keep kids engaged during the closure. Dawkins said teenagers in Columbia Heights have offered to help babysit or deliver groceries.

"We will keep students and ourselves safe. We will do our part in our communities as we face this unprecedented situation. It's what we do every day," Education Minnesota, the state's largest teachers union, said in a statement Sunday.