Lakeville Area Schools has updated its Safe Return to Learning Plan and will be using the dashboard and mitigation plan below for the 2021-22 school year. Lakeville Area Schools will be offering full-time in-person learning for all students. We are committed to providing world-class learning prioritizing the safety, health and well-being of our school community. Our Safe Return to Learning Plan includes academic learning support to help students recover from the past year of interrupted learning, as well as health and safety measures to help mitigate COVID-19. 

As we continue to monitor State and Federal guidance, this plan is subject to change based upon any future guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). 

Current Reported COVID-19 Cases at Lakeville Area Schools by Building Level for the last 14 days as of Oct. 14

Please note: these case rates are based strictly on self-reported data.

State Reported Data: 

• Cherry View Elementary School
• Orchard Lake Elementary School
• Lakeville North High School
• Lakeville South High School

Any school listed above has reported five or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in students or staff who were in the building while infectious in a two-week period in the last 28 days. If an N/A is listed above, that means no school in the District has met its criteria. More information at the MDH Situation Update

Current COVID-19 Cases and Mitigation Level as of Oct. 14

Face covering requirements based on the following number will remain in place a minimum of two weeks and until cases per 10,000 for Dakota County fall below 20 on the District’s matrix for five consecutive days. As the school year begins, we’ll also be considering district infection trends and overall influenza-like illness data in determining when the face covering requirement can be removed.

To remain consistent with the learning model thresholds used throughout the 2020-21 school year, Lakeville Area Schools is continuing to report 14-day per 10,000 case rates. Each Friday, Lakeville Area Schools reviews data from the Minnesota Department of Health, as reported on this dashboard created by Julian Wolfson, Ph.D., a professor and researcher in the Division of Biostatistics at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Wolfson's dashboard has been updated to report 14-day case rate data per 10,0000, which the District will use to determine mitigation level moving forward. Information about how the data on Dr. Wolfson’s dashboard is calculated can be found on this Frequently Asked Questions document.

Vaccine data is reported on this dashboard created by the MN Department of Health.

COVID-19 Mitigation Plan by Transmission Level

The District will use county-level COVID-19 transmission level (14-day case rate per 10,000 in Dakota County) to determine mitigation strategies that will be implemented in our buildings and on district transportation, as indicated in the table below. This data corresponds to the thresholds the MDH and MDE used last school year to make decisions on learning models and protocols. The District will review District, City, and County data weekly on Thursdays and will update its dashboard on Fridays. Any changes in protocols will be implemented the following Monday. In the event of an outbreak, the District may also shift classrooms or schools into higher levels of mitigation response including shutdown.

Influenza Like Illness (ILI) Monitoring 

• The LAS COVID-19 Command Team along with the Licensed School Nurses (LSNs) and the building nurses will monitor daily cases of ILI. If the building rate of ILI exceeds 4% (defined as absences due to illness with or without without specific symptoms reported), the COVID-19 Command Team will determine if additional mitigation strategies need to be implemented at the building level including required masking, increased physical distancing, assigned seating, more targeted contact tracing, and institution of quarantine protocols.

We recommend every family regularly review the following:

• This COVID-19 Safe Learning Plan and take responsibility to follow its recommendations and requirements;
• The Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 website for updated guidance; and
• The Minnesota Department of Health Recommended COVID-19 Decision Tree, which includes recommendations for those who are ill. 
• All students, staff, visitors and facility users are required to conduct a daily self screening before coming to school/work.

We are committed to providing world-class learning for every student in a safe and healthy environment. The District and its schools will continue to provide our community with information and updates for 2021-22 school year. For the latest news and information from the school district as well as previous communications, please visit our news page.