Foley Public Schools makes switch before year begins 

County case rate recommends hybrid model for secondary students 

By Evan Michealson 

With the number of COVID-19 cases rising within the county, Foley Public Schools has altered its original course for the beginning of the academic year.
The district’s steering committee held a meeting to discuss the case spike Aug. 31 at the Foley Intermediate School media center in Foley, where superintendent Paul Neubauer initiated a hybrid learning model for grades 6-12 at Foley Public Schools, replacing the previous plan of in-person schooling across the board.
            The decision comes as Benton County’s positive COVID-19 14-day case rate per 10,000 people increased. The Minnesota Department of Health reported Aug. 27 a case rate of 6.79 for the period of Aug. 2-15, but current county-level data suggests the case rate is higher.
            According to data released by Benton County Public Health on its website, the county’s positive 14-day case rate per 10,000 people rose to 18.76 between Aug. 17-31 – a threshold that recommends a hybrid learning model for middle and high school students while elementary students continue in person. Twenty-one additional cases have been reported within the Foley zip code since Aug. 20. The active case count in Benton County is 40 – a number that was 17 less than two weeks ago.
            In a resolution passed Aug. 17, the Foley School Board allowed Neubauer to “select and implement a different learning model for the school district or any specific school buildings without school board action if the superintendent reasonably believes that prompt implementation of a different learning model is necessary.”
Foley Public Schools is set to commence the 2020-21 school year Sept. 8.
For more information on county data, visit co.benton.mn.us and locate the Benton County COVID-19 Overview.