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Summer has just started, but parents and teachers alike are already consumed by this question: What will school look like in the fall?

The Minnesota Department of Education says 

districts should prepare for three scenarios

, with a final decision coming in late July. But already, there are signs the pandemic has radically changed how the next school year may play out. 

, one in five teachers say they are unlikely to return to the classroom if schools reopen. A separate poll of parents found that six in 10 say they will pursue at-home educational options, rather than sending their kids back to school. 

Distance learning under stay-at-home orders this past spring only 

 Meanwhile, districts nationwide are facing budget cuts.

The details are messy, the answers unclear. On Monday, MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke with a school administrator and a pediatrician about how they are approaching these decisions.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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School districts nationwide are considering what a fall reopening could look like while also making contingency plans if COVID-19 cases spike. Balancing all the needs feels like an equation that’s impossible to solve.

The struggle to reopen schools

People standing far apart from each other and people at tables. 

The struggle to reopen schools

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