Moorhead Public Schools outlines plans for upcoming school year

The district revealed details for the Return to Learn plan

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Moorhead Public Schools will operate the coming school year in one of three ways; in-person learning, distance learning or a hybrid of the two.

Which one the district chooses will be based on state recommendations. Minnesota is using a 14-day county level case rate to determine what kind of learning should be done.

There are five different levels of where that number could fall. It ranges from 0-9 cases, which would mean in-person learning for all students, and 50 or more cases, which would mean distance learning for all students.

“Regardless of what we do in our schools, if the numbers are rising and our community isn’t partnering in actions to mitigate this, we won’t be able to keep our doors open,” said the districts Health Services Supervisor, Erika Yoney.

The most recent data has the rate at over 13 cases per 10,000 people. That means if school was to start this week, there would be in-person learning for elementary aged students and hybrid learning for secondary students.

“In the hybrid model, school would be completed through an in-person and distance learning platforms on alternating days, otherwise known as “A-B” days,” said Supervisor of Secondary Learning and Accountability, Amy Zanotti.

The hybrid model would split students into two groups and the groups would alternate every other day between in-person and distance learning to limit the number of people in the building at one time.

The models are fluid and can change at any point depending on the county’s case count. If a family is uncomfortable sending their kids to school, they can enroll in Spud Academy.

“This program requires a semester long commitment, as students involved in this program would be in full time distance learning, regardless of the learning model for the rest of the district,” said superintendent Brandon Lunak.

If parents would like to enroll, Moorhead is asking they do so by August 14th.

All secondary students will be given a chromebook at the beginning of the year, including those enrolled in Spud Academy, to make sure they can remain on track with any form of distance learning.