Rochester secondary students on track to go in-person

Jordan Shearer, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·3 min read

Mar. 3—With COVID-19 vaccinations on the rise and infection rates on the decline, Rochester Public Schools is gearing up to welcome all its secondary students back into the buildings for the first time in a full year.

Secondary students are scheduled to return to in-person learning April 5, a goal that was reinforced at Tuesday's school board meeting. Superintendent Michael Muñoz said that by the end of this week, every staff member will have had the opportunity to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"The county has really stepped up and provided a lot of doses available to our staff," Muñoz said.

In addition to staff vaccinations, the COVID-19 infection rate has been declining. According to Muñoz, the county's infection rate as of Feb. 13 was 26.07 and its projected to be 21.0 for the next 14-day period.

The infection rate fell from a high of 65.01 during the period of Dec. 27 through Jan. 9.

Board member Don Barlow asked if there was any reason the district couldn't bring secondary students back to the buildings even before the April 5. Barlow said the learning gap between students has been exacerbated during the pandemic, and that it would be helpful to have students in the classroom for as long as possible for the remainder of the school year.

Muñoz said there are several logistics that need to be worked out before bringing students back, such as hiring kitchen staff and custodians. He said officials would need at least a two-week window to ramp up for full reopening.

The superintendent did clarify, though, that there are opportunities for students to connect with teachers in the buildings ahead of the April 5 if they need additional supports.

"Based on a few of the emails I received from parents, I think our staff and district need to do a much better job at making parents aware that their child can request to come in and get help when they need it," Muñoz said.

Minnesota students first moved to a distance learning model a year ago. And, unlike their younger counterparts, secondary students have not had an option for hybrid learning during the 2020-21 school year. That means that by the time secondary students return, it will have been a full calendar year since they had in-person classes.

Because of that, Muñoz said the schools are planning orientation sessions for sixth- and ninth-graders who will be entering brand new buildings, even though they've already technically been in middle school and high school since the fall.

Board chairwoman Jean Marvin said teachers are aware that students struggle during the third quarter of a normal school year and that they will need even more support now.

"Third quarter is tough ... our secondary teachers are keenly aware of that. They are going to be working really hard, especially over the next few weeks, to get kids caught up," Marvin said. "It's going to look different than it did before; it's going to feel different than it did before. And, they are going to need emotional support as well as academic support."