Cancellations and closings have now reached the doors of South High school and K-12 schools across Minnesota. “We cannot wait until the pandemic is in our schools to figure things out,” said Governor Tim Walz. 

During this time, it is essential to pay attention to your health and the recommendations being made. “Whatever the CDC, whatever the Minnesota department of health is saying, follow it. Which is going to be hard if it means we have to stay in our houses or we have to stay away from people,” said Principle Brett Stringer. “Maybe this is an opportunity when social media is a good thing, in the sense that you can connect with a bunch of people, without actually being near them. Don’t hold up and not talk to anyone, use that time to connect with friends.” 

Right now this is unprecedented and uncharted territory. Administration does not believe that students should suffer the consequences of missed school. Stringer understands that students are stressed about many unknowns including the end of the quarter, spring break academy and graduation. “I would just say to the best you can do, is don’t stress,” said Stringer. “As of right now quarter 3 still ends on the 27th, but we are not saying grades are due on the 27th.”

If the decision is made not to return to school after April 6th, it could look many different ways. Teachers and staff are encouraged to use the next 8-9 school days to plan what online classes would look like for them. There are steps being taken to give internet access to students who wouldn’t normally have it. “At the meeting last night, there was a representative who is speaking with the city to see if there is an option for us to open up some free wifi,” said Stringer. 

For students who rely on school for healthy and nutritious meals, there are about 20 schools throughout the city functioning as food stations where meals can be picked up. Starting Tuesday March 16 through March 27 these schools will be open from 10am to 2pm for students who are in need. For more information visit https://cws.mpls.k12.mn.us/COVID19 . 

Senior events will have to be looked at event by event. Due to the virus Prom’s venue has had other cancelations and there is now more availability in May. “It also depends on the timeline of when we get back. If we come back on the 6th, it gives us an opportunity to continue post spring break as if it was the same. We may have to look into rescheduling or thinking about different ways to have a similar experience and that’s really hard to do, especially not knowing the timeline,” said Stringer. As of right now “Graduation is still on!” 

“Above everything else is we love you and care for you and this is such a weird time and we want to make sure you are supported,” said Stringer. “We want to support you as best as possible and keep on top of it. When you have access, exercise your mind and be flexible.” 

This article will be updated as more information comes in.