Minneapolis schools will offer remote learning amid federal immigration enforcement

By REBECCA SANTANA, STEVE KARNOWSKI and BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis school system will offer families the option of remote learning for a month amid federal immigration enforcement in the city, the district said.

The district provided the update late Thursday in an email to teachers that was obtained by The Associated Press. Under the temporary plan, teachers will simultaneously deliver lessons from their classrooms to students in the classroom and at home.

The move comes as the Trump administration sends 2,000 immigration agents to the area and the community responds to the fatal shooting of a local woman earlier this week by a federal agent.

Immigration enforcement in cities across the U.S. has led to dips in school attendance, according to parents and educators. Advocates in other cities facing federal interventions have sought remote learning options, particularly for immigrant families that might feel vulnerable, but Minneapolis appears to be one of the few districts to reintroduce the option of pandemic-style virtual learning.

“This meets a really important need for our students who are not able to come to school right now,” a Minneapolis school administrator wrote in the email to staff.

The virtual learning option will be available through Feb. 12.