Minneapolis Public Schools has outlined its plan to bring middle and high school students back into the classroom full time this spring, after what by then will have been more than a year of distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the plan, students in grades nine through 12 will return to in-person learning on April 12, followed by those in grades six through eight on April 19.
In the meantime, targeted academic services for secondary students will begin next week, with each school building inviting students for voluntary in-person help. High schoolers receiving special-education services will go back to classrooms on March 22.
Schools must still offer a distance learning option, and families will have until March 9 to complete a registration form to choose between in-person or remote classes.
"We worked tirelessly to err on the side of health and safety, but with [COVID] infection rates declining, we believe this is an appropriate time to bring back our secondary students," Superintendent Ed Graff said at a school board meeting Tuesday.
Gov. Tim Walz recommended last week that all Minnesota schools offer some form of in-person instruction by March 8, provided that they follow safety measures. Graff said the timing of the announcement was unexpected but added the district was already focused on planning to reopen secondary schools.
Minneapolis elementary schools began reopening on Feb. 8 and welcomed third- through fifth-graders to in-person classes on Monday. About 40% of the district's elementary students have chosen to continue learning at home.
During the school day, students in school buildings are to stay 6 feet apart, or at least 3 feet apart when 6 feet isn't possible. The state also is requiring schools to arrange student seating for lunch as a way to track possible virus spread.
