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. 

“There are no easy answers, no overarching policy decisions that will enable all Minnesota children to reenter schools safely when school starts up again in the fall,” said Senator Justin Eichorn (R-Grand Rapids).  “A consequence of this pandemic is that there are tradeoffs in the choices that we make. What we do know, though, is that our children learn best in school and that the Coronavirus has had different levels of impact across the communities of this state. Rather than make one universal decision on education that may best serve Minneapolis schools but not those in Greater Minnesota, lets instead empower our local school districts to make those choices on their own. Let’s  allow them to go about implementing the smartest, safest, and most creative solutions that get Minnesota children back to learning.”

 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.