Minnesota’s Democrat Governor Tim Walz suggested that schools his his state will not be allowed to reopen, at least at full capacity, come this fall.
“It is still my intention for us to try and find a model where we get as many students back in the building as possible… [but] I think if you’d have asked us three weeks ago I was much more certain that we’d be able to move a large number back in than I am today,” he says.
Looks like MN Gov. Walz is signaling that schools won’t reopen (at least fully) come fall. pic.twitter.com/YiGoRm4ZRs
— Kyle Hooten (@KyleHooten2) July 8, 2020
Walz’s comment that he is less confident now that schools should reopen than he was three weeks ago comes after the daily prevalence of COVID-19 deaths across the nation continues to trend downward.
In addition to his recent comment, Walz proudly announced on June 30 that his state made a significant commitment that appears to more readily enable online learning. This commitment takes the form of a new “public-private partnership” between Minnesota and Best Buy, Comcast, the Blandin Foundation, the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation and the Business Partnership.
📡💻Today we announced a public-private partnership to keep MN connected. We’ll work together to provide technology and internet access to students across the state.
This is a team effort. Thank you to @BestBuy, @Comcast, @blandinFound, @spmcfoundations, and @BizPartnership. pic.twitter.com/YSNeytdyvt
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) June 30, 2020
Meanwhile, Walz isn’t the only leader who has expressed his vision for what the 2020-21 school year will look like.
“We hope that most schools are going to be open,” President Donald Trump said to reporters Wednesday. He then blasted those who seek to keep schools closed becuase “they think it’s going to be good for them politically.”
Florida’s Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has already ordered his state’s schools to reopen fully for in person classes at the conclusion of this summer break, per NPR. This apparently prompted the Miami-Dade county superintendent, who oversees one of the largest school districts in America, to vow to disobey the orders.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
