In Minnesota, all middle and high school students were permitted to return to the classroom for either full-time in-person or hybrid instruction starting Feb. 22. Gov. Tim Walz (D) said he expects all schools to offer some in-person instruction by March 8. Parents can still opt to keep their children home for remote instruction.
Previously, high schools and middle schools could only reopen if local health officials approved reopening based on county health data. Elementary schools were allowed to open regardless of COVID-19 case data on Jan. 18.
Nationwide:
- Four states (Calif., Del., Hawaii, N.M.) and Washington, D.C. had state-ordered regional school closures, required closures for certain grade levels, or allowed hybrid instruction only.
- Four states (Ark., Fla., Iowa, Texas) had state-ordered in-person instruction.
- One state (W.Va.) had state-ordered in-person instruction for certain grades.
- Forty-one states left decisions to schools or districts.
