St. Paul moves 6,000 students online amid ICE surge
St. Paul Public Schools will offer temporary districtwide online learning beginning Thursday, Jan. 22 — after no school on Jan. 19 (MLK Day) and staff prep days on Jan. 20–21 — with families able to opt in and roughly 6,000 students choosing the virtual track that keeps them with teachers and classmates from their current schools rather than the separate SPPS Online School. District leaders say the move is a safety and stability response to increased immigration enforcement and the presence of federal agents in the Twin Cities (linked to Minneapolis’ e‑learning option after the ICE killing of Renee Good), and administrators have reassigned teachers, adjusted schedules and attendance policies, and distributed technology to support the sudden shift.
📌 Key Facts
- St. Paul Public Schools is offering temporary online learning district-wide at every school (not just selected sites); the temporary option keeps students with their current school's teachers and classmates and is distinct from the separate SPPS Online School.
- Temporary virtual learning is scheduled to begin Thursday, Jan. 22; the district closed schools Tuesday, Jan. 20, and Wednesday, Jan. 21 to give staff time to prepare (in addition to the MLK Day holiday on Jan. 19).
- Roughly 6,000 students have opted into the new online‑learning track in direct response to immigration‑enforcement fears; the district identified which schools and grade levels have the heaviest uptake and adjusted schedules for those students.
- SPPS leaders explicitly frame the move as a safety and stability response to an increased presence of federal agents/ICE in the Twin Cities; the district’s action is directly linked in reporting to Minneapolis Public Schools’ e‑learning option (through Feb. 12) following the ICE killing of Renee Good.
- District communications and reporting provide operational details for families on how to opt into remote instruction and for what time period, and administrators have taken steps to support the shift — reassigning teachers, distributing technology, and establishing attendance and other operational policies.
📊 Relevant Data
Somali-born immigrants in Minnesota have an incarceration rate of 5,030 per 100,000 for males aged 18-29, compared to 2,450 per 100,000 for U.S.-born males and 1,280 per 100,000 for non-Hispanic white natives, based on ACS data from 2006-2024.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
Operation Metro Surge, launched in December 2025, targets the 'worst of the worst' criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota, described as the largest federal immigration enforcement operation ever.
DHS Highlights Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens Arrested in Minnesota, Including — U.S. Department of Homeland Security
The poverty rate for Somali Minnesotans is 36.4%, compared to the overall Minnesota poverty rate of approximately 9.6% in 2023.
Somali population - Cultural communities — Minnesota Compass
Somali Minnesotans have a high self-employment rate, with strong participation in entrepreneurship, including in sectors like health care, transportation, retail, and manufacturing.
FAQ: Economic Contributions of Somalis in Minnesota — Empowering Strategies
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- St. Paul Public Schools says roughly 6,000 students have opted into the new online‑learning track in direct response to immigration enforcement fears.
- The district specifies which schools and grade levels are seeing the heaviest uptake of virtual learning and how schedules are being adjusted for those students.
- Administrators detail operational steps (reassigned teachers, tech distribution, attendance policies) taken to support the sudden shift of thousands of students online.
- Confirms SPPS will offer online learning at every school in the district, not just selected sites.
- Provides operational details on how families can opt into remote instruction and for what time period.
- Clarifies that the move is framed by SPPS leadership as a safety/stability response to ongoing immigration enforcement activity.
- Confirms temporary virtual learning for SPPS will begin Thursday, Jan. 22.
- States there will be no school on Tuesday, Jan. 20, and Wednesday, Jan. 21, to give staff time to prepare for virtual learning (in addition to MLK Day on Jan. 19).
- Clarifies that the temporary virtual option keeps students with teachers and classmates from their current school, distinct from the separate SPPS Online School.
- Reiterates that the district explicitly frames the move as a response to 'safety concerns related to the increased presence of federal agents in the Twin Cities.'
- Directly links the SPPS move to Minneapolis Public Schools’ e‑learning option through Feb. 12 following the ICE killing of Renee Good.