Though many districts tried to keep students engaged through online learning and food deliveries, some families decided they had to leave.

Minnesota’s local school boards have long held the power to decide how kids are taught about a variety of health education topics, including human development, nutrition, sex, child abuse prevention and other issues. That power, though, is about to shift.

The problem stems from a 2023 decision by the DFL-controlled Legislature and DFL Gov. Tim Walz to make school meals free to all students. While school leaders cheered the effort, the law led to changes in the way the state calculated what’s known as compensatory revenue.

Federal immigration enforcement activity is increasingly affecting Minnesota schools, with district leaders reporting detentions of students, parents and staff on or near school grounds. In some districts, attendance has dropped by 20% to 40% as families keep children home over safety concerns.

The move came after officials at Roosevelt High School said armed U.S. Border Patrol officers came on school property during dismissal and began tackling people, handcuffed two staff members and released chemical weapons on bystanders.

Rochester Public Schools is formalizing guidelines crafted last fall guiding administrators on everything from using preferred student pronouns to providing comfortable changing rooms and bathrooms for kids.

There are more 5,000 active job postings in Minnesota schools, according to St. Cloud State University’s EdPost listings. There’s one school district you won’t see on that list: Red Lake Public Schools.

It’s a slight but important change at a time when school performance data is scrutinized intensely. From test scores to graduation rates, those numbers have an outsized influence on policy decisions and on public perceptions of school success and failure.