In Response To Rising COVID Cases, Shakopee Schools Extends Thanksgiving Break
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities school district says it's extending the next week's holiday break in response to rising COVID-19 cases.
Shakopee Public Schools announced Thursday that all pre-kindergarten through 12th grade classes will be canceled on both Monday and Tuesday, with no online classes. The district's holiday break is scheduled to start Wednesday and last through the weekend, thereby giving students nine days away from school.
According to district officials, this month has seen three weeks so far with the most COVID-19 infections since the start of the school year. This comes as the Delta variant's spread in Minnesota has led to the state having the worst average case rate in the country.
In a video statement, Superintendent Mike Redmond said that the coming break will give students nine days away from school, "and hopefully then, after those nine days, we'll see those COVID cases in our district begin to decrease."
While there will be no classes early next week, the district says that free meal pickup will still be available Monday, as will emergency child care.
The district says it's considering operations in the near future to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 while still prioritizing in-person learning as much as possible.
Following the extended holiday break, the next possible step would have students learning in-person four days a week with a rotating off-day. If the virus's spread still shows no sign of slowing, the district say it's considering extending the winter break.
