(BLAINE) – School districts across Anoka County have decided to dial back in-person learning, primarily among middle- and high school-aged students, as the rates of COVID-19 infection continue to rise in the county.
According to state figures over the most recent two-week measuring period, the COVID-19 case rate in Anoka County is 33.16 cases per 10,000, and the threshold for moving secondary schools to all distance learning is 30 per 10,000.
According to press releases from Spring Lake Park Schools, Anoka-Hennepin Schools, Centennial Schools, middle and high schools will transition from hybrid to all distance learning by the beginning of November. Forest Lake Schools, which operates Lino Lakes Elementary School, will move elementary students from in-person to hybrid. Here is a district-by-district breakdown of what will happen, taken from various press releases.
Anoka-Hennepin Schools:
- Middle and high schools move to distance learning Nov. 4; elementary schools remain in hybrid learning (no school for students PreK-12 on Nov. 2nd or 3rd)
- County and district data shared in new COVID-19 tracker
- Sign up for Backpack Online e-newsletter for future COVID-19 updates by email
Anoka-Hennepin will transition middle and high school students in the hybrid learning format to distance learning starting Wednesday, Nov. 4 through the end of trimester one, Friday, Dec. 4. School will not be held for all students PreK-12 on Monday, Nov. 2 or Tuesday, Nov. 3 in order for schools to prepare.
High school co-curricular athletics and activities will cease starting Nov. 2 following Minnesota State High School League guidance. Current after-school programs coordinated by Anoka-Hennepin Community Education in middle schools will wrap-up this week. Community Education coordinators are working to provide modified recreational and enrichment opportunities for middle school students following Minnesota Department of Health Stay Safe MN Guidelines. More details will be shared next week from Anoka-Hennepin Community Education.
Elementary students will remain in their chosen learning format, whether that be hybrid or distance learning for the remainder of trimester one. However, the hybrid calendar will have a slight change. No school will be held in-person or virtually on both Monday, Nov. 2 and Tuesday, Nov. 3. Cohort A will attend school in-person Wednesday, Nov. 4, while Cohort B will attend school in-person Thursday Nov. 5 and Friday, Nov. 6. Hybrid child care will be closed on Monday, Nov. 2. Adventures Plus school-age care will remain open for non-school day care on Tuesday, Nov. 3 for families that pre-registered.
Trimester two choices continue to be collected. As the 2020-21 school year continues, the possibility for learning model shifts remains. The district is looking for this information ahead of time for a smoother, quicker transition process. Learn more in these articles: elementary families, middle and high school families. The learning format(s) that will start trimester two for elementary, middle and high schools will be announced no later than Tuesday, Nov. 24.
Visit ahschools.us/COVID-19 for the latest information.
Spring Lake Park Schools:
School district leaders met October 22 with officials from Anoka County public health, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Education and other school districts in the county. Officials shared the latest public health information for the county.
Unlike other counties with identifiable outbreaks at specific businesses or locations, Anoka County is currently experiencing wide community spread, the third fastest growing spread in the state at this time. Because of this, the recommended direction provided to Anoka County school districts was to move to distance learning for grades 7-12.
“We continue to have very few cases within our schools and had hoped to remain in our current model,” says Jeff Ronneberg, superintendent. “However, after meeting about the public health situation, we feel compelled to follow the direction provided and align with the state’s safe learning plan to move grades 7 through 12 to distance learning.”
Each of the neighboring districts in Anoka County are following a similar plan and implementing distance learning for grades 7-12 and maintaining hybrid learning models in elementary grades.
Students in grades 7-12 currently attending school in the Modified Campus (hybrid) model, will transition to distance learning over a week and a half to provide students, teachers and families time to prepare:
- Monday, Oct. 26 – Friday, Oct. 30 – Students will follow their current hybrid schedules and come to school on their scheduled Group A and Group B days. This provides additional days at school and an opportunity to take home anything they need before distance learning begins.
- Monday, Nov. 2 – Wednesday, Nov. 4 – Teachers will use these three days to fully transition learning online. Students will use this time to finish assignments.
- Thursday, Nov. 5 – Students in grades 7-12 will resume classes in the distance learning (SLP Extended Flexible Learning) model.
Schools will communicate additional details over the next two weeks through the Westwood newsletter and the Spring Lake Park High School newsletter.
District leaders have also been working with the departments of health and education to modify distance learning plans to allow key in-person activities to continue.
Students will be able to come to school for necessary in-person instruction. Teachers and building leaders are developing plans for how this will work.
“Unlike the spring, when our buildings were shut down,” says Jeff. “We are making plans for students to come in for labs, hands-on learning, targeted help and other services.”
The district also plans to continue with athletics and activities. Students and families may choose to participate in athletics and activities as they feel comfortable. Athletics will follow Minnesota State High School League health and safety guidelines. Activities like the school play will continue as well.
Students in grades 7-12 will remain in a distance learning model until the end of the trimester (Dec. 4) to provide continuity.
“We will continue to monitor case rates closely and communicate a plan for the start of the second trimester no later than the week of November 30,” says Jeff. “It would be our hope that these numbers turn around, and we can consider a shift back to the Modified Campus (hybrid) model for grades 7-12 in time for a trimester transition.”
At this time, there are no changes for families of students in grades K-6 attending in Modified Campus (hybrid) model. The guidance continues to direct younger students to remain in school. While district leaders hope it is not needed, they would consider a transition for K-6 if the number were to near the threshold of 50 cases per 10,000.
“These are certainly not the decision points any of us want,” says Jeff. “We remain hopeful we can address the spread of this virus as a community and get back to learning at school together. In the meantime, we will work to provide a positive experience in whatever format, and we are grateful for community support, patience and partnership.”
Centennial Schools:
Centennial Schools leaders originally voted start distance learning for middle and high school students but then reversed that decision, citing the ability to go by school-level data instead. Here is a communication to parents on October 28 from Superintendent Brian Dietz:
Last night all school districts in the state received clarifying guidance from the Minnesota Department of Education” in an effort to clarify questions about shifting learning models and the implications it has on activities and athletics.” I appreciate the Centennial families and staff who have been communicating directly with the State requesting to keep schools open.
The information we received from the State indicates that in addition to the Anoka County data we can also use our local metrics—the number of cases in our schools, students and staff in quarantine or deemed “close contacts,” and those with flu-like symptoms—to determine the learning model.
Taking this new approach of looking at our own data, we are working with our State partners through a multi-step process to determine if students in grades 6-12 can remain in the hybrid learning model. We will delay the shift to distance learning until we know more. Students in grades 6-12, will remain in hybrid learning until further notice.
Just a reminder, this decision has no bearing on elementary students. This only impacts students in grades 6-12.
In the last seven months we have had to reinvent education completely. We are creating learning opportunities for students under an umbrella of a pandemic—something educators in our lifetime have never done before. As the virus changes, so too does information and guidance. We are trying to stay in front of this as best as we can. Thank you for your patience and your partnership.
Forest Lake Schools:
The district’s elementary students (K-6) will transition into a hybrid learning model beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 10. This change follows extensive consultation with county and state health officials.
At this time, we are not announcing any change for our secondary students (7th-12th grade). However, with the rising COVID-19 two-week case counts for Anoka, Chisago and Washington counties, secondary students and families should be prepared for a possible transition to distance learning. We will continue to monitor county case data over the next 2-3 weeks to determine if a change to distance learning is necessary.
For elementary students, the last day of full in-person learning will be Wednesday, Nov. 4. There will be no school for elementary students on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 5 & 6 to allow time for our staff to prepare for this transition. Monday, Nov. 9 was a previously scheduled professional development day for our staff and will continue to be a day off for all students.
Our hybrid model brings elementary students in the maroon group to school in-person on Mondays, Wednesdays and every other Friday, and students in the gold group to school in-person on Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Friday.
Tuesday, Nov. 10 will be the first day of in-school learning for Gold students, and Wednesday, Nov. 11 will be the first day of in-school learning for Maroon students. We will send a separate email reminding parents of their student’s maroon/gold group assignments.
