Families should be aware that if there is a case of COVID-19 at school, they will be contacted by the principal, school health staff or by someone from a public health organization.
If a student comes into close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID, families will be given instructions on how their student will need to quarantine. If the student did not come into close contact with the person with COVID, the student will NOT need to quarantine. Due to the confidentiality of medical information, families will not be told who has tested positive.
It would be rare that MPS would need to close an entire school due to a positive case of COVID. Because each case is unique, MPS will work with the Minneapolis Health Department to make the best decision about whether to close a school. In most cases, a school can stay open due to our strict, daily cleaning and disinfection practices. However, the school principal will notify families when and if the school building needs to be closed. If a school is closed, students will return to distance learning.
The Minnesota Department of Health tracks and publishes data for any school building where five or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in students or staff during a two-week reporting period. To view this information, see MDH Cases in Pre-K through Grade 12 School Buildings, by County. NOTE: School buildings listed may not have ongoing transmission. School buildings that have not reported a new case for 28 days are removed from the list. If five or more cases are reported in a school building in a subsequent two-week period, the school will be listed once again.