Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Education News
Samuel King

St. Paul Public Schools will consider shift in COVID-19 policies

Contact tracing dropped, mask requirements could follow

A vial of a vaccine dose.
A vial of the new children's dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine sits in the foreground as children play in a hospital room waiting to receive the vaccine at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Conn., on Nov. 2, 2021. SPPS officials cite higher vaccine rates as reasons to drop contact tracing and potentially mask mandates at schools.
Joseph Prezioso | AFP via Getty Images

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

St. Paul Public Schools will no longer conduct contact tracing in response to COVID-19 cases. Officials are shifting to preventative strategies including vaccines, testing and isolation, according to a presentation presented to school board members on Saturday.

The discussion was added to the agenda of a previously scheduled meeting on the ongoing negotiations between the district and educator unions.

Officials cited new statistics that show at least half of SPPS students 5 to 11 years old have received one dose of the vaccine. About two thirds of 12 to 18 year old students have also received one dose.

SPPS will no longer identify close contacts of students who test positive for COVID-19 and no longer send out letters. As of Monday, requirements for assigned classroom and lunch seating will also be lifted.

Isolation guidelines will continue to be followed: five days for staff who test positive, 10 days for students.

On Tuesday, the board will consider amending its mask requirements in light of dropping levels of COVID-19 in the community. The new resolution would drop the mask mandate during times of low to medium community case rates in Ramsey County as determined by the CDC. As of Thursday, all of the Twin Cities metro area falls in the low category.

St. Paul schools would join several other districts across Minnesota, including Duluth and Rochester in dropping mask mandates.