Minnesota Department of Education Archives

Minnesota DFL Legislators Want to Enshrine Trans Sports in State Law, Ban Removal of LGBT Flags

March 6, 2024March 5, 2024 Minnesota Sun Staff

A group of Democrats are putting forward legislation to enshrine transgender sports in state statute and ban the removal of LGBT flags in many public places.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers have signed on to HF 4394 in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Authored by Rep. Leigh Finke, D-St. Paul, this bill would require the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) commissioner to develop a “gender inclusion policy” that must be adopted in some form by school districts across the state.

Minnesota GOP Representative Calls for Investigation into ‘Cover-Up’ Allegations from Feeding Our Future Leader

February 10, 2024February 9, 2024 Minnesota Sun Staff

Republicans are calling for an investigation into allegations that Gov. Tim Walz’s Department of Education “engaged in deceptive practices” in order to conceal records in a lawsuit related to the Feeding Our Future case.

Aimee Bock, the founder and executive director of the defunct nonprofit, claimed in a court filing last month that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) “intentionally deleted and hid documents from discovery” when her organization sued MDE in November 2020.

Controversial Minnesota Social Studies Standards Set for Final Round of Public Comments

October 4, 2023October 3, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

A years-long, convoluted battle over new standards for social studies education in Minnesota’s public schools is nearing its end.

The public will have one last opportunity to weigh in on the standards before final adoption, the Center of the American Experiment explained, providing a link to where public comments can be submitted as well as instructions on what those comments can address.

Most Minneapolis Students Don’t Consistently Attend School

August 31, 2023August 30, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

The number of Minnesota students who consistently attend school has dropped by 15% since 2019, according to state Department of Education data released last week.

The annual North Star Accountability Report tracks “consistent attendance,” which is defined as the number of students who attend school at least 90% of the time and are not chronically absent.

Minnesota Department of Education Runs Program to Help Art Teachers Create Anti-Racist Curriculum

July 12, 2023July 11, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) runs a program to help art teachers create anti-racist curriculum.

“In this three-day long summer 2023 institute, participants will have an opportunity to deepen their understanding of culturally responsive and ant-racist curriculum development in and through the arts as it relates to Ethnic Studies,” MDE explains of an upcoming course that is an optional aspect of a program funded by the U.S. Department of Education and led by MDE’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Center.

Minnesota Public School Enrollment Continues to Decline

February 25, 2023February 24, 2023 Admin

Public school enrollment in Minnesota has declined for a third consecutive year, according to data released this week by the Department of Education.

MDE said enrollment dropped by about 2,427 students during the 2022-23 academic year, a roughly 0.3% decrease.

Walz Officials Pull Homeschool Reporting Requirement After Minnesota Parents Speak Out

February 14, 2023February 13, 2023 Admin

More than 100 homeschool advocates filled an overflow room during a Minnesota House of Representatives committee hearing this week on Gov. Tim Walz’s education policy bill.

Students and their parent educators were in attendance seeking answers as to why the bill, HF1269, included a provision that would require homeschool providers to submit their students’ standardized test scores to local school districts.

Report Finds ‘Pervasive Noncompliance’ in Minnesota Grant Management

February 5, 2023February 4, 2023 Admin

Minnesota issues an average of $514 million in state-funded grants to nonprofits each year but demonstrates “pervasive noncompliance” with oversight measures, according to a new report published Thursday.

The report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) specifically looked at whether the Minnesota Department of Education and the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Justice Programs are complying with grants management policies.

State Rep: Kids Are ‘Demanding’ Comprehensive Sex Ed

January 10, 2023January 9, 2023 Admin

A Minnesota state representative is renewing her push to require schools to teach students about “diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.”

State Rep. Sydney Jordan, a Democrat from Minneapolis, said Friday she has introduced a bill to bring comprehensive sex education, or CSE, to all Minnesota schools.

“Students are demanding access to information about their bodies, consent, and contraception and it’s time the [Minnesota Legislature] listens,” she said.

New Report Finds Minnesota’s Social Studies Standards Rooted in ‘Revolutionary Ideology’

November 5, 2022November 4, 2022 Admin

A new report shows how Minnesota’s proposed social studies standards are “unacceptably politicized” and “deficient.”

Earlier this week the Center of the American Experiment published a report by historian and academic Wilfred McClay titled “Minnesota’s Academic Standards Among the Nation’s Worst.”

Commentary: The Minnesota DFL’s $250 Million Coverup

October 13, 2022October 12, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

The DFL coverup of the great Feeding Our Future (FOF) caper has now begun. We need to begin with the mess Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) created. Make no mistake, their malfeasance cost taxpayers $250 million.

Blame Flies over Minnesota’s $250 Million Fraud Scheme

September 27, 2022September 26, 2022 The Center Square

After taxpayers lost $250 million in what federal officials deemed “the largest pandemic fraud” in the nation, the government agencies involved are blaming each other.

The Department of Justice charged 47 people with the fraud, alleging they exploited federal money left unguarded by lax COVID rules meant to feed hungry kids.

Senate GOP Report: Minnesota Department of Education Failed to Follow Law in Feeding Our Future Oversight

September 14, 2022September 13, 2022 Admin

A new report issued Monday by Republicans on the Senate Education Committee claims the Minnesota Department of Education failed to follow state and federal law in its management of federal meals programs.

The report says agency leadership “either did not know how to responsibly manage [Food and Nutrition Service] programs or found the faithful execution of those duties burdensome and optional.”

Minnesota Public Schools Continue to Fall Behind in Student Proficiency

August 27, 2022August 26, 2022 Admin

Nearly 400 public schools throughout Minnesota are set to receive additional support from the state education department as student proficiency scores continue to lag or fall further behind.

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) announced on Thursday an expansion of its relatively new COMPASS program (Collaborative Minnesota Partnerships to Advance Student Success) to render “various levels of support” to 371 public schools, including “15 entire school districts.”

Minnesota High School Promotes Video Claiming ‘Male or Female Isn’t So Clear-Cut’

June 1, 2022May 31, 2022 Admin

For years, “Bill Nye the Science Guy” has entered classrooms to teach students about everything from chemistry and biology to physics and earth science. But now it’s apparent Nye’s show is less about science and more about “force feeding a flawed ideology over reality,” according to Minnesota parents.

Concerned Buffalo High School parents forwarded an email to Alpha News regarding what 10th-grade students can expect to learn from their sex education class beginning June 1.

Public School Enrollment Continues to Fall in Minnesota

March 4, 2022March 3, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

Private and charter schools are the beneficiaries of a continued decline in Minnesota public school enrollment.

Data from the Minnesota Department of Education’s annual report shows that compared to the 2020-21 school year, roughly 2,000 fewer students were enrolled in public schools for the 2021-22 school year.

Minnesota Department of Education Proposed Academic Standards Emphasize ‘Cultural Perspectives’ in Math

February 27, 2022February 26, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

For the 2021-22 school year, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has been conducting a review and revision of its K-12 academic standards in mathematics as required by state law.

The math standards committee is comprised of 39 people — including parents, teachers, school administrators, school board members, university faculty, and members of the business community — from “varying perspectives and backgrounds.” One of their most notable revisions emphasizes Native American “representations” in public school math courses.

The Minnesota Department of Education Was Battling Two Nonprofits for Years Before the Alleged Free Food Scandal Broke

February 15, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Jan. 20 FBI raids on Feeding Our Future was just the latest escalation in a war between the state agency and two networks of nonprofits operating food giveaways to low-income children. The state Department of Education (MDE) has been battling Feeding Our Future and the related nonprofit Partners in Nutrition (aka Partners in Quality Care) in and out of court going back at least as far as 2017.

MDE oversees locally two federal government free-food programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Those two programs are meant to supplement the better-known school lunch program and provide meals to children at times they are not in class — after school and during summers, respectively.

Gov. Walz’s Education Department Lobbied Against Measure to Remove Violent Students from Classrooms

December 6, 2021December 5, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Minnesota schools are struggling with an increase in student violence, yet Gov. Tim Walz’s Department of Education (MDE) lobbied against a measure to quell the chaos.

Rochester schools are “taken over with violence,” a fight between students at Hopkins High School recently left three staff members with injuries, and ISD 728 is accused of not cracking down on student-on-student sexual abuse. Meanwhile, Rochester is banning parents who don’t wear masks from school grounds for a year, a St. Louis Park Catholic school has rolled out a new “social justice algebra” class, and some other schools are moving back to “distance learning.” Critics say that spending time and money on initiatives like these distracts from what schools should be focused on: stopping classroom violence.

New Minnesota House Republican Caucus Raises Concerns About New K-12 Standards in Social Studies

November 24, 2021November 23, 2021 Hayley Feland

Boy sitting in a library, reading a book

Minnesota’s New House Republican Caucus raised concerns about the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) newly released draft of their K-12 Academic Standards about social studies. They took issue with the curriculum outlined under the social studies section titled “Ethnic Studies.” One statement, categorized under the heading “resistance,” says that…

Rally Opposing Mandates for Kids Takes Place Outside Minnesota Department of Education

November 4, 2021November 3, 2021 Hayley Feland

A rally opposing mandates for kids took place outside the Minnesota Department of Education building in Roseville, Minnesota on Wednesday. The rally, organized by Mark Bishofsky, had around 200 attendees. Bishofsky has organized several other protests in the last few months, hosting one of the largest Stop The Mandate protests at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Gov. Tim Walz Calls for Vaccine Requirement for Minnesota Teachers

October 9, 2021October 8, 2021 Hayley Feland

Governor Tim Walz (D) called for COVID vaccine requirements for Minnesota teachers on Tuesday. The governor said there should also be “consistent” COVID mitigation requirements for schools.

Minnesota Launches Program to Help Students Struggling to Meet Educational Standards

August 28, 2021August 27, 2021 Hayley Feland

Minnesota is launching a program to help students struggling to meet educational standards after a year of “education disruption” due to COVID. The program is called Collaborative Minnesota Partnerships to Advance Student Success (COMPASS) and will be providing students individualized support in struggle areas.

The press release from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) reads that the program will “accelerate learning by meeting students’ academic, social-emotional and mental health needs as Minnesota school communities continue to navigate the pandemic.”

Minnesota Department of Health Recommends School Aged Children Test ‘at Least’ Weekly for COVID

August 20, 2021August 19, 2021 Hayley Feland

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has recommended that school aged children test at least weekly for COVID. Local districts can choose to take part in the program offering on-site testing at elementary schools and receive a grant to fund it.

Proposed Minnesota Social Studies Curriculum Embraces Critical Race Theory

August 11, 2021August 10, 2021 Hayley Feland

The proposed changes to Minnesota’s social studies curriculum would embrace Critical Race Theory. According to the Center for the American Experiment, “The Critical Race Theory framework can be found throughout the second draft of the social studies standards.”

St. Paul School District May Close Schools Due to Low Enrollment

July 23, 2021July 22, 2021 Hayley Feland

The St. Paul School District is considering closing some schools as enrollment is low. “School board members are listening to the most recent update on how to make schools more equitable in resources and programs,” FOX 9 reported.

The district says that there will not be enough students to fill classrooms, so in the interest of best utilizing resources, they are considering closing some elementary schools. This is not an issue isolated in St. Paul. In fact, schools statewide are experiencing losses of students. Federal data suggests that public school enrollment in Minnesota has gone down by over 17,000 students. Homeschooling rates have increased dramatically, along with a slight increase in private school enrollment.

Social Justice Favorites Including LGBT+, Climate Change Take a Prominent Role in the New Draft of Social Studies Standards in Minnesota

December 29, 2020December 28, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Minnesota’s newly proposed social studies standards for public schools place significant emphasis on race, gender, climate change and LGBT issues.

Under the first draft of the proposed standards, students will be asked to “develop a respectful awareness about how ideas and norms about gender have changed over time,” accept that “some forms of slavery continued even after emancipation” and learn how the “fight for social justice” continues today.

Students will also be asked to “analyze how resistance movements in the U.S. have organized and responded to oppression,” and “imagine and work toward an equitable and caring future” in keeping with the social justice model.

Majority of Minnesota Parents Say They Are Comfortable Sending Children Back to School in Fall

July 11, 2020July 10, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

A survey conducted by the Minnesota Department of Education found that the majority of parents would feel comfortable sending their children back to school this fall.

Between June 15 and July 6, the agency collected more than 130,000 responses to the informal survey, which was offered in English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali. A total of 64 percent of respondents said they would feel comfortable sending their children back to school in September. Of that 64 percent, 94 percent said they would send their children back to school full time.

Jason Lewis Says Parents Should Be Refunded for Property Taxes If Schools Don’t Reopen

July 10, 2020July 9, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

Republican Senate candidate Jason Lewis said parents should be refunded for property tax payments and tuition if schools aren’t allowed to reopen in the fall.

“The more we learn about COVID, the more it becomes apparent that we have done a huge disservice to our children in the way we have handled this virus. Research has proven that COVID presents minimal risks to young people. But what isn’t minimal is the toll this prolonged lockdown and social isolation has on our kids’ social, mental, and physical well-being,” Lewis said in a statement released Wednesday.

Eden Prairie School Board Member Criticizes ‘Unacceptable’ Lack of Direction from Walz Admin on Upcoming School Year

June 17, 2020June 16, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

An Eden Prairie School Board member broke his silence Monday after learning that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) won’t be releasing state guidance on the upcoming academic year until July 27.

Three scenarios are possible for the 2020-21 school year, including continued distance learning, the resumption of in-person instruction, or a mix of the two.

Minnesota Bills Would Create Grant Program to Make ‘School Climate and Curriculum More Inclusive’

February 15, 2019February 14, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

A set of companion bills were introduced in the Minnesota House and Senate last week that would establish “Inclusive School Enhancement Grants” to make “schools’ curriculum and learning and work environments more inclusive.” House File (HF) 824 and Senate File (SF) 1012 were introduced Feb. 7, and referred to their…