Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Education Commissioner to Tour Schools Tuesday Welcoming Students Back to School

(KNSI) — Governor Tim Walz, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, and Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Willie Jett will be touring school districts Tuesday, welcoming students back to class.

They will visit Bloomington, Columbia Heights, Rochester and White Bear Lake schools. The goal is not just to roll out the welcome wagon but also to celebrate the first year of the universal school meals program, guaranteeing each student a free breakfast and lunch. The program passed as part of the education bill, signed into law in May.

Also, part of that same education bill was new language restricting the use of force allowed by school resource officers. Dozens of departments around Minnesota, including St. Cloud, have suspended SRO programs after the law change, which took effect August 1st. There is no word if the governor will address that issue during his tour.

He is under intense pressure to call a special session to change the language in the law limiting or prohibiting an SRO’s ability to restrain or hold a physical aggressor. The St. Cloud Police Department says its SRO program is suspended until the law changes. Governor Walz has so far said he is not interested in calling a special session, meaning it won’t be until February when the legislature reconvenes that the issue can be addressed.

___