Today Senate Republicans voted on a resolution to allow school districts to decide the best option for their students this fall.

“Schools are an essential service by every definition of the word. And we know that they are the best arbiters for what is safe and what is unsafe for their students and staff,” said Senate Education Chair Carla Nelson. “We are simply asking the governor to allow each district to make a plan that works for them because one-size-fits-all is a terrible way to educate our students.”

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.

“I served on a school board during the H1N1 pandemic and we took it seriously,” said Senator Eric Pratt (R-Prior Lake). “We developed protocols to keep our teachers and students safe then and we can do the same now. We know that every school district and every school building are not the same. The educators that I’ve talked to want the flexibility in addressing the needs in their communities and ensure students don’t fall further behind. This resolution will still allow the Governor and Department of Education to issue guidelines for the safe reopening of our schools while supporting  the decision-making authority of local elected officials, administration, teachers and parents.”

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 own survey found 64% of parents want students back in schools this fall.