Public school superintendents in Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, Pine and St. Louis counties are asking residents to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines so schools can stay open.
Thirty-two superintendents from 34 districts signed the letter, shared with the News Tribune and Cloquet Pine Journal on Friday, which said: “We’re writing to you today to ask for your help.”
“We are four weeks into the year and already schools in our seven-county region have had to adjust their learning models from either in person to hybrid or hybrid to distance learning due to sharp increases in positive COVID-19 cases,” the letter says. “This is disappointing for everyone involved.”
Minnesota Department of Health policy states that if the range of 14-day case rates per 10,000 people is zero to nine, in-person learning for all students can occur.
If case rates are 10-19 per 10,000 people, elementary schools can be in person, while secondary schools would be in hybrid; 20-29, all schools would be hybrid; 30-49, elementary schools could be hybrid, while secondary schools would be distance learning; and 50 or more, all students would be distance learning.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
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