On Wednesday, the Minnesota Senate heard legislation that will protect students’ right to an excellent education at all times. The new legislation, Senate File 2, removes any governor’s authority to close schools or alter school schedules via executive order. Decisions about opening and closing will be left in the hands of individual school districts moving forward, where local officials have firsthand knowledge of their students’ needs.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, Minnesota never should have adopted a statewide mandate forcing all of our districts to use the same criteria and protocols for each individual school,” said Senator Weber (R-Luverne). “We know that all of our schools are unique and should have empowered local authorities the flexibility to do what is best for their communities and students. Now, with the data clearly saying it’s safe for schools to reopen, it is time for the Governor to relinquish this authority.”

The bill says the Governor may not use executive order authority to issue any order or to authorize the commissioner of education to alter school schedules, curtail school activities, or order schools closed.

The legislation does not remove the Governor mask mandate on student-athletes, which has been a point of contention with Governor Walz despite many health experts declaring it safe.

Gov. Walz’s executive orders closing schools have been among his most questioned and controversial orders of the outbreak.

There is mounting evidence, including research from the CDC, that schools pose a minimal risk of spreading the coronavirus. A fall Reuters report that studied 191 countries also found no clear link between school reopenings and coronavirus surges. In addition, Axios looked at several studies and found schools are not Covid hotspots, and the Atlantic Magazine wrote that kids are not superspreaders and that it’s time to reopen schools. The New York Times reported on evidence that schools, especially elementary schools, are not “stoking community transmission.”

There is also agreement about the impact distance learning is having on students:

• The American Association of Pediatrics has said, “The AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with the goal of having students physically present in school. The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020.” 

• UNICEF has warned of a ‘lost generation’  and found that school closures are ineffective. “Even with the promise of a vaccine on the horizon, a new report by UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, warned that “the future of an entire generation is at risk,” with the threat to children “increasing”. Studies cited in the report showed “no consistent association between school reopening status and COVID-19 infection rates.
• The Sahan Journal found the pandemic has had a “devastating” impact on communities of color in St. Paul Public Schools.
• CBS reported on a U.K. education watchdog that found kids have seriously regressed due to Covid-19.