NC Minnesota News

After Gov. Tim Walz released guidelines for school districts to follow when creating their back-to-school plans for the fall, Sen. Paul Utke expressed disappointment in Walz's guidelines. 

In Walz's plans, school districts can create local plans, but they must be in collaboration with the state and follow the rules given by the governor, according to a press release from the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus. In-person learning is allowed, but can be revoked at any time in a district shows spikes in COVID-19 cases. It could also result in statewide online learning. 

“Though the message from the governor is that back-to-school decisions are up to districts, the education commissioner can veto any in-person plans,” Utke said in the press release. “Local districts have been removed from the conversation surrounding potential closures. The governor has been informed by leaders with the Teacher’s Union, rather than district administrators and the school boards. If our districts were provided with clear guidelines for an outbreak, without vague threats of closure at the state level, they would be equipped to determine safety going forward. This is yet another instance of big government trying to solve individual problems in the state, without regard for parents or local leadership.”