Parent group calls for boycott of Minneapolis Public Schools

The Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) district is starting school next Tuesday, September 8. But despite the district being cleared for hybrid learning, MPS has decided on distance learning for all students. This decision has stirred up concern among families, and a parent advocacy group is calling for a boycott of the district, reports Fox 9.

This group [the Minnesota Parent Union] is sharing frustrations ahead of the new school year in Minneapolis, specifically for families of color.

“They don’t have support,” said Fatoun Ali, a parent and parent advocate. “They don’t have supplies. They don’t have schedule. They don’t know what’s going on, which school started and which school did not start.”

Executive Director Rashad Turner says MPS is not doing enough to make sure everyone is prepared to learn from home and he wants families to know there are other school choices if they choose to unenroll.

“We did the research to get enrollment openings at charter schools in Minneapolis, private schools in Minneapolis, as well as starting to understand the open enrollment process to neighboring traditional district schools,” said Turner.

Other Minnesota families dissatisfied with their district’s school plans are also seeking out alternative learning options—from charter and private schools offering in-person learning to micro schools and learning pods. This does not dismiss all the hard work and effort teachers have put into trying to keep student learning going; but for the parents looking elsewhere, they realized distance learning doesn’t offer all their child needs to be successful.

To make sure all families interested in these alternatives can access them, I have written about how the state could allocate a portion of its federal education aid into emergency education savings accounts. Parents could then use these funds to pay for a learning pod, tutoring, devices, connectivity, etc.