On June 30th, Governor Tim Walz announced his “Safe Learning Plan” for schools this fall.  

There are three models that will be used for the safe learning plan this academic year: 

• In-person learning: Social distanced in-class learning
  
• Hybrid learning: Online and in-class mixed learning
  
• Distance learning: All online learning
  

School districts will be able to choose how they pursue educating students this fall based on these three models, while also being aware that plans may need to change quickly in the event of a school or community COVID-19 outbreak.

Although schools are making their own decisions on their back-to-school plans for this fall, they are still expected to follow CDC recommendations and implement a safe plan for students, teachers, and parents.  

What about colleges? 

Colleges are on their own for this academic school year and how they decide to approach bringing students back to school. The U of M has declared they will be doing their 2020-2021 academic year hybrid. With a hybrid approach, students will have a schedule with online and in-class learning opportunities. In-class learning will require social distancing, masks, and reduced class sizes. Many other colleges have yet to come out with their 2020-2021 academic school year plan. 

Returning to schools during a pandemic is a very difficult decision. The safety of Minnesotans is always a priority. Gov. Tim Walz, local school leaders, Minnesota health experts, and many others are working hard to ensure that we have a safe and data-driven plan in place that works for parents, students, and teachers. And Minnesotans can keep doing our part by wearing masks, and practicing social distancing and good hygiene. We are all in this together.