Jan. 19, 2022

After debating for hours Tuesday night, St. Paul's public school board opted not to move its students to distance learning. The proposal for a two-week break failed narrowly, by a 3 to 4 vote. Some board members, lead by Chauntyll Allen, suggested the whole district should take a break, from Friday through Feb. 4.

Superintendent Joe Gothard said there were nine schools on the verge of moving to virtual learning, based on a school-by-school plan in place. He also told the board that virtual learning would have its own problems and that it would be difficult to tell if the situation with COVID was any better after kids were home for an extended period.

“And I think the community and our families, also, their fear is — we go out and we never come back,” Gothard said.

Gothard urged the board to make every effort to keep kids in classrooms as much as possible, saying it was the best option for learning in the state's second-largest school district.