The second-largest school district in Minnesota announced it will offer temporary online learning during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
Saint Paul Public Schools said the virtual learning option is for students who feel uncomfortable attending school in person, with the district citing safety concerns due to the increased presence of ICE in the state, Fox News reported.
The online education option will begin on Jan. 22, and families will receive a registration link via email on Thursday, according to the report.
The district said it will not have classes on Jan. 20-21 to prepare for the shift to online learning.
Student attendance dramatically dropped, specifically among Spanish-speaking students, before the district decided to offer online learning, the report states, citing data shared with the MinnPost. The outlet reported that 51 percent of students who speak Spanish at home did not attend school on Jan. 9, two days after Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot and killed by an ICE officer whom she struck with her car during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
Superintendent Dr. Stacie Stanley said she has received hundreds of messages about offering temporary virtual learning within the past several days due to fears over ICE operations in the state.
“Our goal is to ensure that all students can stay connected to the school whether that is in-person or virtually,” Stanley told parents in a YouTube video posted Wednesday to the district’s account.
The district’s communications director told Fox News Digital the virtual option will be reviewed on a weekly basis.
Minneapolis Public Schools canceled classes on Jan. 8-9 after Good’s death. The district said in-person learning had resumed the following Monday. Minneapolis Public Schools said it plans to end its virtual option on Feb. 12.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
