Coronavirus surge may push more MN schools to close - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

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A surge in new coronavirus cases means only five small Minnesota counties should be able to safely operate all of their schools on a normal schedule, according to a weekly report issued Thursday.

The same report from the Minnesota Department of Health says nine counties have severe enough outbreaks that all of their schools should close in favor of virtual learning for the foreseeable future.

All told, 44 of the state’s 87 counties moved to a more restrictive range for in-person schooling compared to last week, while three counties moved to a less restrictive zone.

It’s not clear, however, that there’s been a real increase in infected people, as the rise in confirmed cases has corresponded with increased testing. Just under 5 percent of all tests have come back positive over the last week, unchanged from one month prior.

A separate health report released Thursday shows only seven schools reported having had at least five infected people in their buildings Sept. 20 to Oct. 3. Last week’s report gave the same number of schools for the previous two-week period.

The weekly report on new coronavirus case rates, closely watched by school officials, is intended as a starting point for decisions around when to allow students in classrooms. Many of the state’s larger districts, including St. Paul, took a more cautious approach by leaning on distance learning at the start of the school year.

Some St. Paul staffers returned to their schools Thursday to prepare for the first phase of a transition to part-time in-person learning. Around 500 of the district’s special-education students are slated to go to school twice a week starting Oct. 19.

In district surveys, 89 percent of staff in those schools said they were “comfortable” with the move, but only half of student families said the same; families do have the option of remaining in distance learning the rest of the school year.

Ramsey County’s new case rate increased to just under 20 per 10,000 residents in Thursday’s report — still lower than every surrounding county.

A decision is expected Wednesday regarding the reopening of St. Paul’s elementary schools on Nov. 16. The district has begun asking employees of those schools whether they feel ready to work in-person and whether they’ll need accommodations to do their jobs.

Superintendent Joe Gothard has said he’s eager to give families the option of in-person learning.

“People either are absolutely satisfied for many reasons with how distance learning is working, or people want us to get back yesterday,” Gothard told the school board Tuesday.

Teachers union leaders in St. Paul and elsewhere, though, have urged caution.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, will join educators Friday in Anoka to call attention to concerns about safety and the stress of trying to teach in-person and remotely at the same time.

WEEKLY REPORT

According to the state’s weekly report:

• Five counties 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.
• 26 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 can return part-time to allow for social distancing.
• 30 counties had 20-30 new cases per 10,000 residents, suggesting all students can go to school part-time.
• 17 counties had a new case rate over 30, allowing elementary students to attend part-time while secondary students learn from home.
• And nine had a new case rate over 50, suggesting all K-12 students should be in distance learning.

SCHOOL OUTBREAKS

Eleven public and private schools now have reported outbreaks of five or more confirmed coronavirus cases involving students and staff in the building.

New to that list are Horizon Middle School in Moorhead; Grand Rapids Senior High; Roosevelt Elementary in Willmar; Hinckley Elementary; and Rocori Senior High in Cold Spring.

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