Cloquet secondary grades will switch to hybrid

Cloquet students in grades 7-12 will switch to a hybrid learning model starting next week because of an increased number of people in the county testing positive for Covid-19.

Superintendent Michael Cary sent this email to families Thursday afternoon:

Under the Minnesota Safe Learning Plan issued by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), schools are guided to shift to a hybrid plan for secondary students when county rates of COVID increase above 10 cases per 10,000 county residents. Our most recent data update from the MDH shows Carlton County case rates at 11.25 cases per 10,000. As a result, Cloquet Public Schools will shift grades 7-12 from in-person learning to a hybrid model beginning on Monday, October 5th. This change only applies to grades 7-12. Students in grades K-6 will continue with full in-person learning.

October 5th and 6th, there will be no school for 7th-12th grade to allow teachers to plan for the transition to the hybrid model. It is critical that our students attend school on Friday, October 2nd, to allow teachers to provide instructions and materials for hybrid learning. The first day of student attendance in the hybrid model will be Wednesday, October 7th. Our 7th-12th grade students will stay in the hybrid model until we receive two consecutive weeks of data that fall below the 10 case per 10,000 resident threshold. The district will always notify families of any changes to the model and the date which they will begin with as much advanced notice as is reasonably possible. Our goal is to provide families as much time as we are able to plan for changes.

The hybrid model puts a rotation in place where students attend school on a three day rotation. Students will attend in-person on one day and then attend school through distance learning the next two days. The days in the rotation are indicated as A, B or C days. Students are assigned to the A, B or C group and only attend school on the calendar days which match their group. A calendar will be shared with families showing which school days are A, B or C days. Your student’s group will be shared with you from her/his school. The district has worked to ensure that students from the same household attend school on the same day in the rotation. If you receive information that indicates your students are not attending the same day, please contact their school(s).

For the first week of the model, the days of attendance will be as follows:

-Monday, October 5th – No School for 7th-12th Grade

-Tuesday, October 6th – No School for 7th-12th Grade

-Wednesday, October 7th – Group A in-person, Group B and C online

-Thursday, October 8th – Group B in-person, Group A and C online

-Friday, October 9th – Group C in-person, Group A and B online

We thank you for your understanding and patience as we make this adjustment.

Dr. Michael Cary, Superintendent

Cloquet Public Schools