[ST. PAUL, MN] — Today, Governor Tim Walz announced that more than 90% of districts and charter schools in Minnesota are offering their students some form of in-person learning.

“Across the state, Minnesota’s students are heading back to the classroom. As a former classroom teacher of more than 20 years and as a parent, I know how critical in-person learning is to a child’s wellbeing, and I am proud of this milestone,” said Governor Walz. “With more than one million Minnesotans vaccinated against COVID-19 and our students back in the classroom, the light at the end of this pandemic grows brighter every day.”

In December, Governor Walz updated Minnesota’s Safe Learning Plan to allow every elementary school across the state to operate in person, and in February, Governor Walz further updated the plan to allow all middle and high school students to return to the classroom for hybrid or in-person learning. The Safe Learning Plan changes include additional mitigation strategies, including a strong recommendation for staff to wear face shields and masks together and offering no-cost regular COVID-19 testing for school staff. Middle and high schools will be required to implement similar health and safety strategies, including updated physical distancing requirements.

On Saturday, the Governor announced that nearly 55% of Minnesota’s educators, school staff, and child care providers have received the COVID-19 vaccine, and that more than one million Minnesotans have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including 61.7% of Minnesotans aged 65+. Minnesota is a national leader in getting vaccines into arms and consistently ranks in the top ten among states for the percentage of doses received that have been administered. Minnesota is now averaging nearly 42,000 doses administered per day.

In addition to the new health and safety protocols, students and families who are learning in person, in a hybrid learning model, or participating in sports and activities are strongly encouraged to receive a COVID-19 test every two weeks. Families can find locations for free COVID testing on the Minnesota Department of Health’s website .

For more detail on school district learning models across the state, visit the Safe Learning Model Dashboard .