By: Sam Wilmes
3/16/2020
Second Congressional District Rep. Angie Craig, DFL-Minnesota, local superintendents and public health officials advised residents to take precaution and described how they will meet student needs as schools close during the coronavirus outbreak.
The hour-long discussion also included University of Minnesota School of Public Health Professor M. Kumi Smith, Minnesota Department of Education Assistant Commissioner Daron Korte, Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Superintendent Theresa Battle, Northfield Superintendent Matt Hillmann and SouthWest Metro Intermediate School Superintendent Darren Kermes.
Craig said following the phone call the only way to minimize the number of deaths from the outbreak is to practice safe distancing. By doing so, she believes they can give health care workers and first responders a chance to fight the pandemic.
She said in hindsight, President Donald Trump’s decision to eliminate the National Security Council directorate for global health and security and bio-defense wasn’t smart, but emphasized that right now she is focused on bringing people together to slow the outbreak.
She said Congress needs to return to Washington to fund a supplemental bill to deal with the evolving crisis.
“There have been challenges,” Craig said of the federal government’s response. She added the government hasn’t been able to get tests processed in an appropriate amount of time, causing them to struggle to contain the outbreak. She noted there is a need to test and process 500 people per day in Minnesota, but right now the testing number is only at 160.
During the call, Northfield Superintendent Matt Hillmann spoke highly of the work conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health, calling the state’s health care system “one of the best public health systems” in the U.S.” He said the Department of Health is providing “excellent guidance.”
He noted the district had 11 school cancellations last year, six involving e-learning. Although that has allowed the district to gain experience with the closing process, Hillmann still expects this to be a work in progress.
Northfield has worked with Arcadia Charter, Prairie Creek Charter and St. Dominic Elementary to coordinate the closing.
Those schools will also close Wednesday.
Hillmann said he is encouraging district parents and students to take care of their mental health as anxiety looms amidst the outbreak. He noted the district has a one-to-one iPad-to-student ratio for students in third to 12th grades, adding 97% of students have home internet access, and for those who don’t, the district is working to expand that to them. Charter Spectrum is providing free access to families impacted by school closures during the period. Families are advised to contact spectrum.com/browse/content/spectrum-internet-assist.
Battle noted the district canceled school beginning Monday, and students will not have school work for the next two weeks to prepare for the possibility of a longer period of long-distance learning.
Battle said the district will give learning packets and parent guides and support English language learners. The district will provide hot spots for students without internet access. Comcast and CenturyLink are also expanding internet access. Even though students and educators will be physically apart, students will have daily interaction with licensed educators.
Schools will be required to provide child care for health care employees and emergency workers. In Northfield and Burnsville-Eagan-Savage districts, child care will be available from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Smith noted in enacting social distancing, state officials hope to make it harder for the virus to be transmitted from person to person. A main goal of closing schools is to prevent the spread of the virus, which could come relatively rapidly in a typically dense school atmosphere.
Anyone looking for more information on school district closures due to the pandemic can visit https://education.mn.gov/mde/index.html.
Smith advised people check in with others deemed at highest risk of infection, including those over 60 with the most pressing medical needs who live alone, or deliver groceries and provide needed home supplies for those in need. She said although there is a possibility the outbreak won’t be as bad as feared, there is enough evidence of its destruction to warrant caution.
Smith called on people not to unnecessarily hoard home materials such as toilet paper.