Today Senate Republicans passed a resolution to allow school districts to decide the best option for their students this fall. A bill to provide $25 million in grants to reopen schools was stopped by Senate Democrats refusal to support bringing the bill to the floor. 

“Governor Walz continues to use his executive authority to make decisions for Minnesotans without considering that his choices have different impacts in communities across this state,” said Senator Jeff Howe (R-Rockville). “Most recently, the Governor has mused taking executive action on K-12 education in Minnesota. What Governor Walz hasn’t considered with these musings is that he does not have direct knowledge on each school district of the state. Instead of allowing our local school districts to create an effective policy that fits each school district, Governor Walz’s plan would implement policies that may be best for a 1,000 children school in Minneapolis but would not be best for schools with only few hundred or fewer kids in Greater Minnesota. This seems counter-intuitive. We know our local school officials are in the best position to bring students back safely. They know best how to reach their students best, and we need to trust their decisions and ability to prepare their communities if possible.”

 The resolution states that, for the purposes of emergency powers during the COVID pandemic, the Governor cannot make unilateral decisions to open or close schools. School size, transportation needs, special education needs, and technology access will all be different in each district, and this resolution empowers each community to decide what will work best for them this fall. 

Recent studies have argued the benefit of reopening schools safely this fall is important for the overall well-being of our students. The American Association of Pediatrics has said, “The AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with the goal of having students physically present in school. The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020.” 

Parents have weighed in on the issue as well. Nine out of ten parents surveyed by Education Trust reporting that they were worried about their child falling behind due to COVID-related closures. The Minnesota Department of Education’s survey found 64% of parents want students back in schools this fall.