ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's Note: The above story first aired Sept. 24, 2021
Officials with Minnesota Education say a Minnesota student died from COVID-19, the first student death this school year due to the virus.
The Minnesota Department of Health also confirmed two school staff members had died from COVID, bringing the total number of school staff member fatalities to five this school year.
School officials didn't release any additional information about the student.
“The loss of this student is a tragedy that every educator will feel,” said Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota in a press release. “We’re asking parents to please reduce the risk of another tragic death of a student by vaccinating their teens. When the vaccine becomes available to younger children, vaccinate them, too.”
According to the MDH, 13 school staff members and two students have died from the virus in Minnesota since the start of the pandemic. Since the start of the 2020 school year, 38,737 COVID cases have been linked to schools, including 363 hospitalizations and 66 cases requiring treatment in the ICU.
MDH says 128 students have been hospitalized since the beginning of the pandemic, including 19 cases requiring ICU treatment.
“Five school staff members and one student have died of COVID-19 this school year and it’s only October,” said Specht. “There is no excuse for any district leader to ignore the guidelines for masking, social distancing, quarantining and vaccinations set out by state and federal public health authorities.”