The Minnesota Department of Education released a 100-page open guide for public schools yesterday (June 18) to prepare for the three potential scenarios for returning to school next fall.
It is expected that a final decision will be made on the education program on July 27.
This guide outlines three situations: face-to-face teaching, hybrid teaching and distance teaching .
We have organized the state's response to each situation below.
Face to Face Teaching
Daily learning:
Schools must ensure that students and teachers maintain an appropriate distance during school, but they do not need to strictly abide by the 6-foot social distance requirement during what they call "primary teaching time in the classroom."
Food service:
Students and food service personnel must maintain social distancing practices in accordance with the CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health's new restaurant guidelines, and to stay aware other recommended health and safety practices.
*If the epidemic situation indicators continue to remain stable or improve, this program will be implemented.
Hybrid Teaching
Daily learning:
Mixed teaching combines face-to-face teaching with distance teaching.
Schools and transportation will need to be limited to 50% of the maximum capacity. Everyone must strictly maintain a 6-foot social distance at all times. If the distance cannot be observed, then the number of people will need to be reduced.
Food service:
At school, the school provides lunch in the cafeteria; during distance learning, the school will distribute lunch to students.
Schools will need to implement non-contact food pickup/delivery.
*This plan will be implemented if the epidemic deteriorates or there are multiple new cases in the school.
Distance Education
Daily learning:
Distance learning includes online learning and other methods to ensure that all students can receive their education.
The Minnesota Department of Education stated that they hope all schools can provide students with the necessary educational materials.
Food service:
You can provide meals to students through home delivery, self-collection at the roadside, self-collection at the bus station or other methods.
*If the epidemic indicators have deteriorated so badly that face-to-face teaching needs to be suspended, this program can be implemented.
Some schools in Minnesota are already taking advantage of the summer to experiment with mixed teaching methods so that the education department has the opportunity to learn how to improve this model.
Dr. Heather Mueller, Deputy Minister of Education of Minnesota, said: " We hope that each school district will plan carefully for these three situations, because it is very likely that these three situations will happen at the same time in the upcoming school year."
