Superintendent issues statements on ICE activity and Education Department changes; board hears state legislative proposals on reading and curriculum review

Superintendent Funk read two statements and staff briefed the board on several state legislative proposals that could affect district operations and curriculum.

On immigration-enforcement activity, the superintendent said the district is "committed to protecting the rights of all students and maintaining a learning environment free from intimidation or disruption," and encouraged families to contact counselors or family-engagement staff if they need support. On federal policy, Funk said recent developments in Washington proposing to shift responsibilities away from the U.S. Department of Education could create confusion for local school systems, because federal programs and guidance underpin many district services.

Staff provided a legislative update on several early-stage bills in the Minnesota Senate. Highlights included a reading- or literacy-focused proposal that would require science-based reading instruction, mandate structured-literacy training for teachers and paraprofessionals providing Tier 2 interventions, and require the state Department of Education to publish approved evidence-based curricula and intervention models. The staff presentation noted the bill did not identify accompanying state funding.

A second proposal would alter parental curriculum-review rights and require written consent for certain instruction (the staff brief called out sexual-health instruction): under the draft parents, guardians and adult students could review all instructional materials and districts would need to provide copies upon request; some instruction would require opt-in permission rather than opt-out. Staff said the district already allows parents and adult students who are enrolled to review materials under current practice, but that the proposed change would be a substantial operational flip for certain subjects.

Finally, staff noted a bill to modernize Minnesota's open-meetings law would permit unlimited remote participation provided interactive technology allows participants to see and hear one another, require at least one member to be physically present at the meeting location, and require roll-call votes for remote participation.

Staff and board members discussed the potential budget impact of federal changes. The superintendent said federal funding makes up roughly 5–7% of the district budget; staff said that while immediate cuts were not announced, changing the Department of Education's role could create administrative complexity for accessing federal programs and grants.

Ending: Board members asked staff to monitor legislative developments and return with guidance if bills move to final action; staff said they will track federal developments and work with partners to minimize disruption.