Mara Klecker
Reporter
Suburban K-12 schoolsA native South Dakotan and a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's journalism college, Klecker has always called the Midwest home. She's worked on journalism projects in Ecuador, Nicaragua and Nepal. In her free time, she can be found reading, hiking or planning her next international trip. She lives in the west metro with her husband and two dogs.
Latest from Mara Klecker
2-year-old detained and sent to Texas with father is reunited with mother
Attorneys for the family say they were asylum-seekers who were pulled over without a warrant. The girl has since been reunited with her mother.
January 24, 2026
Witnesses dispute DHS claim that 5-year-old was ‘abandoned’ prior to ICE detainment
City and school leaders in Columbia Heights witnessed the preschooler being detained by federal agents, and say the boy could’ve been released to other adults on scene.
January 24, 2026
Detainment of 5-year-old boy draws international attention and support for his family
A Columbia Heights preschooler was detained this week with his father outside their home. They remain in a Texas detention facility.
January 23, 2026
Preschooler and three other students detained by ICE, school district leader says
The detention of a Columbia Heights 5-year-old comes after weeks of heightened concern and enforcement presence near and on Twin Cities schools’ property.
January 22, 2026
Attendance drops at Minnesota schools as federal immigration enforcement intensifies anxieties
More Twin Cities schools are offering online learning as worry rises over the surge in ICE activity, especially after a parent was detained at their child’s schoolbus stop Wednesday in Crystal.
January 15, 2026
What happened when Border Patrol agents showed up at Minneapolis’ Roosevelt High School
The confrontation occurred a few miles and just hours after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent.
January 10, 2026
Parents stand watch for ICE outside Minnesota schools
Some Twin Cities schools are responding to rumors about ICE agents on school properties.
January 10, 2026
Walz tells ICE to ‘stay away’ from Minnesota schools after incident at Roosevelt High School
Minneapolis schools canceled classes after two schools, including Roosevelt, went into lockdowns in south Minneapolis, within miles of an ICE shooting.
January 8, 2026
Anoka-Hennepin teachers reach tentative contract agreement, strike averted
Details of the contract proposal were not immediately released.
January 7, 2026
![Union members, teachers and supporters cheered during a rally held by Education Minnesota outside the Anoka-Hennepin district headquarters Monday, December 11, 2023, in Anoka, Minn. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ • carlos.gonzalez@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/A5DONDEZPKYICYQDXOUGN3OBGE.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)
Anoka-Hennepin strike looms as school district, teachers still at odds
Teachers in Minnesota’s largest school district could go on strike as soon as Jan. 8. The two sides are at odds over pay and health insurance premiums.
January 7, 2026
Robbinsdale school board approves another middle school closure
The district is closing a fourth school, the FAIR Crystal magnet program, as officials work on a state-mandated debt plan after discovering a $20 million budgeting error.
January 6, 2026
After she lost her siblings in a sudden tragedy, Elk River senior channels grief into new purpose
Carley Frank turned a school project into a way to honor her brother and sister, helping other students for years to come and boosting awareness about mental health.
December 29, 2025
