Sept. 30, 2021

Three weeks after classes started, Minnesota’s school kids are showing up in greater numbers among the state’s COVID-19 cases, as K-12 students are reshaping the pandemic yet again.  

The latest data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows Minnesotans under 20 now make up nearly a third of all COVID cases in the state, up from just 20 percent a month ago. 

The sharp rise in student cases is happening despite cases in other age groups growing much more slowly, or even declining. 

But all these newly discovered cases are also coming amid vastly expanded testing. Around 6 percent of kids 10 to 19 are getting tested for COVID each week, with a positivity rate around 8 percent. That positivity rate for teenagers is actually down from recent weeks.  

That’s making it unclear the degree to which more Minnesota kids are getting infected with COVID-19, versus the degree to which health officials and providers are just looking harder for infections. 

But the rise comes as school boards and school officials have been debating mask mandates, remote learning and other precautions on a school-by-school basis — sparking anger in some communities and even a scuffle at one school board meeting.