The Minneapolis school system will offer families the option of remote learning for a month, officials said Friday, responding to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out in a city where tensions are high over federal immigration enforcement. Under the temporary plan, teachers will simultaneously deliver lessons from their classrooms to students in the classroom and at home, similar to the way many did during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of students reported to Tusla for poor school attendance has significantly increased, with more than 9,000 referrals made in the last academic year. In the wake of the Kyran Durnin case, a Children Missing in Education (CME) team was established in July to help locate children who are missing from school. This includes checks and collaboration across government departments and agencies.
Proponents argue that the bans are essential to promoting academic achievement and overall well-being among students. Cell phone ownership has more than doubled among school-aged youth in the past decade. At the same time, rates of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and cyberbullying have skyrocketed. And 72 percent of high school teachers say phone distractions are a major problem in their classrooms, according to Pew Research Center polling from June 2024.