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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.

Education News

Health

COVID-19

Samuel King

Author

St. Paul school board members will consider whether to change masking requirements during a meeting on Tuesday. 

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

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