ST PAUL, Minn — After announcing that older students will not return to the classroom until at least 2021, St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS) has also extended distance learning for pre-kindergarten through second grade.
On Friday, SPPS announced that those younger grades will continue distance learning at least until Nov. 30, rather than move to a hybrid model. The district analyzes 23 readiness targets and announced Friday that they met all but one target.
The school district does not have enough air filters with MERV 11 ratings to transition to hybrid learning for its younger students.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has issued guidelines for determining whether schools should do distance, in-person or hybrid learning models. Those guidelines prioritize getting younger children back into the classroom sooner.
Just according to the number of cases in the county, MDH's guidelines would recommend hybrid learning in Ramsey County, and distance education in 19 counties. Only two Minnesota counties show full in-person learning recommendations according to case counts.
However, MDH has made it clear that the number of cases in a county is just one factor of many that districts have to weigh when they choose a model.
While grades three through 12 may not return until at least Jan. 19, SPPS will re-evaluate the model for pre-K through second grade again on Oct. 30.
"Installing air filters with MERV 11 ratings, which catch 10 times more COVID-sized particles during air circulation, is an important part of safely bringing students and staff back to school for in-person learning," the district said in a statement Friday. "All buildings currently in operation have adequate supplies of these filters, but due to a national backorder, the filters needed to open additional buildings have not yet been delivered."
On Tuesday, SPPS announced that students in third grade and older will not return to in-person classes in 2020. The school board will meet on Jan. 19, 2021, to discuss bringing more students back into the classroom.
