[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today signed Executive Order 20-94, which makes technical adjustments to the Safe Learning Plan outlined in Executive Order 20-82.

To support students, families, and educators in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Executive order 20-94 provides clarity around:

• Who qualifies for no-cost school-age care for children of critical workers.
• Access to mental health and telehealth resources and services.
• Prioritizing in-person services for students whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) calls for intensive services that cannot be provided in a distance learning setting.
• Encouraging districts and charter schools to exhaust all efforts to reach and engage truant students and their families before referring them for legal action by county support systems during this school year.
• Teaching and learning expectations for students who are learning in-person and those who are learning via distance learning.
• Face covering requirements in school buildings and how to work with students who are able to wear a face covering but refuse to do so.
• Building additional teacher preparation time into the school day for distance and hybrid learning.
• Expanding existing flexibilities that allow school districts and charter schools to expand special education transportation capacity to meet public health and safety requirements.
• Allowing students who age out of developmental delay services during the peacetime emergency to continue to receive them during the peacetime emergency.
• When districts and charters can count planning days as instructional days.

This Executive Order will be effective immediately upon approval by the Minnesota Executive Council.