The spread of COVID-19 prompts some school districts to change their policies

In July, officials at Mounds View Public School emailed families, telling them the district would only recommend, not force people to wear masks in school buildings.

“As we’ve learned over the past 18 months, guidelines can change quickly depending on the spread of COVID-19 and our local conditions. This decision reflects our current intentions, but is subject to change, ”wrote Superintendent Chris Lennox and Chairman of the Board Jonathan Weinhagen in an email to families and district staff.

In just over two weeks, those intentions had indeed changed. The district has announced that it will require students, staff and visitors to wear masks in its school buildings, regardless of their immunization status.

“Ramsey County Public Health now says schools should require masks,” read the Mounds View email to families in the district, “We hope conditions improve in the near future so that that masks are no longer needed. “

Currently, the majority of districts in Minnesota have announced their COVID-19 back-to-school safety protocols, including masking policies. Some, like Mounds View, have overturned earlier decisions.

Scott Croonquist, executive director of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts, estimates that two-thirds of the Twin Cities districts have instituted policies requiring masking inside school buildings. But he said that could change over time.

“It’s an evolving situation,” Croonquist said. “Given the boom in the delta variant and the growing number of cases, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are still some changes to be made by the start of the school year.”

District bases COVID policy on influenza response

In the St. Francis public school district, about 30 minutes north of the Twin Cities, principals announced that masks would be optional for students and staff. It’s a decision District Superintendent Beth Giese said after she surveyed families and district staff. Only 10 percent of district survey respondents said they supported the requirement to wear masks.

“We stand pretty firm on the decision to allow our families to make these decisions about what’s best for them,” Giese said. “What’s unfortunate is that when we make choices, it impacts others. And it still weighs really heavily on me.

Like many principals in Minnesota, Giese is closely monitoring the county’s case rates. If the seven-day case rate per 10,000 exceeds 50, her district plans to require masks for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. If that rate exceeds 100, she said everyone in the school will have to wear a mask.

“We have levels and thresholds that we see as problematic,” Giese said. “Our district looked at it from the perspective of, what did we do when we got the flu?”

Minnesota officials have warned that the delta variant could mean more outbreaks in schools. And districts in other states have had to close because of the coronavirus.

But in St. Francis this year, COVID-19 contingency plans are similar to what influenza outbreak plans have been in the past. District officials are asking families to get tested if necessary and to follow their provider’s advice on quarantine. School staff will not contact trace and will not need close contact with individuals who test positive for quarantine – with the exception of family members.

Giese has said she is ready to change plans if COVID spreads in her area and public health officials advise her to change gears – even if it happens just before the students return.

“If this variation hits my community, I move (to change things),” Giese said. “I’m getting a little nervous … two weeks (before school starts) is a really long time for things to change.”

“We have to be nimble”

Roseville Public School District officials announced last week that they would require everyone to wear masks in their buildings at the start of the school year. According to District Communications Director Josh Collins, this is a change from their summer masking policy, but not a change from previously announced plans for the 2021-2022 school year. .

“Throughout the past year, we’ve really been following what the State Department of Health and CDC recommended very closely and that was never something that we strongly considered changing,” Collins said.

“Not being in school was a challenge for a lot of children, it was a challenge for a lot of parents. We believe that being masked and having that required mask, given the current circumstances with the delta variant, will allow us to keep (the students) in school. “

Unlike St. Francis, the majority of Roseville public school families expressing an opinion on masking said they supported the requirement for masks.

But the district shares some similarities with St. Francis and other schools in Minnesota in that its policies for quarantining and ending in-person classes are very different from what they were a year ago. Under current policies, districts will likely deal with COVID-19 outbreaks on an individual and class-by-class or building-by-building basis.

Still, Collins said the policy could change.

“If we’ve learned anything in the nearly 18 months of battling a global pandemic, it’s that our understanding of the virus, our understanding of the public health actions that are really important to take is changing,” said Collins. “We got used to the idea of ​​being very agile and having to react quickly.

“Tired of the crisis”

The stress of going back to school in the third school year hit by a global pandemic, just one year from the turmoil following the murder of George Floyd, is something that many principals say does wreaking havoc on students, families and educators.

A recent University of Minnesota survey interviewed more than 10,000 K-12 students, families and teachers in May and June of this year. He revealed that all respondents agreed that mental health needs are a major concern.

“We need to take these comments about mental health seriously. And we can’t just go back to school in the fall like we’ve done in the past, ”said Katie Pekel, Principal in Residence at the University of Minnesota.

Roseville District leaders are emphasizing back-to-school professional development over socio-emotional learning. They plan to invite students to talk about their experiences so that teachers can better prepare to meet any needs that arise.

“I think a lot of our students and families are just tired of the crisis,” Collins said. “The socio-emotional needs are really important. “

In St. Francis, Giese said the district is using some of its federal COVID-19 relief funding to hire more mental health professionals. They also try to focus staff development on wellness, bringing in an author to speak to teachers at a back-to-school event.

“The toll this has taken on educators, bus drivers, teaching assistants – the mental health of my staff is my priority this year,” Giese said.