by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
January 12, 2026
School administrators decided to implement the remote learning option so students can learn and feel safe in their homes.
Minneapolis Public Schools will allow students to learn from home as ICE continues to make its presence known in the city.
Following the violence surrounding ICE agents and the resistance to them in the city, Minneapolis is making provisions in its education system to ensure families and students feel safe. In light of incidents, such as an ICE agent’s killing of Renee Good, that have sparked national concern, the school system will transition to hybrid remote learning. School administrators sent emails to their staff telling them to make the adjustments to their learning schedules.
“This meets a really important need for our students who are not able to come to school right now,” a Minneapolis school administrator wrote in an email to their staff, as obtained by the Associated Press.
Over the next month, families who feel unsafe due to the heightened presence of ICE officials can stay and learn from home. According to The Grio, teachers will still report to the classroom and teach their lessons to both physically present and virtual students. The method should not be unfamiliar to most educators, as many used the hybrid model during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The offering also aims to combat declining school attendance, as many families have opted to stay out of the city amid the conflict between ICE agents and the local community. While the option of virtual school comes with its own drawbacks, including the potential gaps in lesson absorption, administrators have decided to prioritize keeping students engaged no matter where they are. This mandate will extend to the school systems almost 30,000 students.
“This will keep them safe and help them keep up with their work,” the school administrator explained in an email. “It will also allow them to be counted present, so we don’t have a ton of dropouts next week.”
However, the move still signifies the ongoing unrest felt among many Minneapolis residents as ICE raids continue. The news comes as President Donald Trump continues targeting the area’s large Somali community, threatening to send thousands of federal agents to the Midwestern city to crack down on their immigration status.
Despite the Trump administration’s move, schools have remained adamant about not letting ICE agents disrupt their learning environments. However, as the violence inches closer to school campuses, local education leaders have enacted new policies.
“The way ICE has escalated in our community has made it so that there are people who feel unsafe coming to and from school,” explained Natasha Dockter, first vice president of the local union representing Minneapolis public school teachers. “We’ve, you know, heard concerns from our members, from families, and wanted to advocate that there is an option for remote learning.”
The remote learning option has followed a pattern of implementation across the U.S. As ICE raids increase nationwide, other cities like Chicago and New York have offered virtual school for students. However, keeping their privacy and immigration status undisclosed, especially for students who choose virtual options due to this, remains a prevalent issue. As for Minneapolis, remote learning options will persist until Feb. 12.
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