Unconfirmed reports of shots being fired as well as large / multiple fights that occurred during and after halftime of the MSHSL 4A Championship left attendees of the game rattled on Saturday night. Amy Parnell, the spokesperson for Wayzata Public Schools indicated via email no Wayzata students were directly involved in the altercations.
New video and reports raise questions about how many sections of the Target Center concourse were impacted by fighting, how many people it affected, and what security measures were in place by the MSHSL and it’s vendors. This new video has been provided to Wayzata.com; it reportedly has been widely circulated within the Wayzata student population.
Submitted video provided to Wayzata.com of the incident.
This WCCO story shows two fights that occurred, one in the concourse reportedly in section 121 and another outside as fans exited Target Center. Other eyewitness reports reported fighting near sections 131 and 138, raising questions if the fight involved half of the Target Center concourse.
Minneapolis Police responded to possible shots fired at 8:53pm, approximately halftime of the game between Park Center and Wayzata:
At approximately 08:53, MPD received a report of possible shots fired inside the #TargetCenter.
MPD, Hennepin County Sheriff, State Patrol, and EMS responded.
MPD worked with security and confirmed no shots were fired. The presence of a gun has not been confirmed.
Your publisher sitting in section 131 saw evidence of the fight spilling into his section, which appears to be 6 sections away from 121:
From our vantage point in section 131, dozens upon doznes of students in attendance were observed panicking and fleeing down the concourse, diving into bathrooms for refuge in response to an individual or individuals screaming that shots had been fired. https://t.co/BVlzVBUPS3
I was there. No gunshots just mass chaos on the concourse. Made me spill my cheese curds. Glad they gave me another. Saw a family kids crying. Saw people coming out of back hallways. Then they started running the other direction. Someone spilled their drink on me. 😂 no gunshots
Sorry this happened to them. It is a horrifying video. It is supposed to be fun to be at these games. Now rules will be imposed that have nothing to do with kids who would never behave this way. The video looked like Attempted Murder. Stomping someone in the head.
The Wayzata School Board will hold a closed session on February 6th to consider the purchase of an office building located at 13305 12th Avenue North in Plymouth.
The meeting will take place on February 6th, shortly after a School Board Work Session, according to the Agendas put out by the school.
The current Administration building is located on the Gleason Lake Elementary Campus on the border of Wayzata & Plymouth; it’s a one story brick office building from approximately 1950 with limited parking.
No indication was made as to whether or not the Administration would move to the new location.
Stay tuned to Wayzata.com, your Wayzata School District needs new office space leader.
In a letter to Wayzata Public Schools families and staff, Superintendent Chace Anderson announced that the school district will present a hybrid learning plan to school board members next week.
Below is the text the school district sent out in an email Thursday afternoon.
Dear WPS Families and Staff,
I am pleased to share Wayzata Learns—A flexible plan for the 2020-21 school year. Safe learning is at the heart of our planning for the 2020-21 school year. One thing the virus is teaching us all is to be flexible. This plan reflects that flexibility, preparing us for the possibility of in-person learning and the necessity of distance learning as the year progresses.
Based on the current trends of COVID-19 in our community, we are proposing to practice safety by beginning the year with hybrid learning. Our Wayzata Distance Choice scenario is an option for families who are not comfortable with hybrid or in-person learning.
The Wayzata Learns plan is being presented to the Wayzata School Board at a Work Session today at 4 p.m. A link to the meeting can be found on our online District Calendar.
Please share your feedback by completing the survey that can be found in the Wayzata Learns plan no later than noon on Saturday, August 8. The Board is planning to take action on a recommendation at its August 10 regular meeting at 7 p.m.
Thank you again for your continued support, patience and understanding as we do our very best to plan for the 2020-21 school year.
Sincerely,
Chace B. Anderson
Superintendent
———————-
Gov. Tim Walz announced last week that individual Minnesota public school districts will determine their own instruction plans for the upcoming school year as a part of the Safe Learning Plan.
COVID-19 cases in each school district will impact how school districts determine the plan for fall.
Gov. Tim Walz at news conference July 30, 2020
The State of Minnesota recommends the following learning models according to the number of COVID-19 cases.
These are recommendations that are given to the individual school districts to help determine what is best for their students and staff.
There were basically three options on the table: 1.) Students return to class full time, 2.) Students return to class part time and do distance learning part time, 3.) Students do only distance learning.
Meanwhile, more than half of school district staff stated they were very comfortable or comfortable in returning to their school/work location this fall according to a school district survey.
No doubt, the biggest question on the minds of Minnesota parents is whether public schools will open back up in the fall.
The state should be releasing guidelines soon. Those guidelines will need to be followed by the school.
There are three options: 1.) Students return to class fulltime, 2.) Students return to class part time and do distance learning part time, 3.) Students do only distance learning.
“The best scenario is what is in the best interest of our students, families and staff,” said Wayzata School District Superintendent Chace Anderson. “The pandemic is an ever-changing situation and what may be a preference today can change tomorrow. We are learning right now from other schools across the country that are opening and others that will remain closed. We will be prepared for all of the scenarios in the event one or all of them need to be implemented.”
Kim Anderson and family live in Wayzata
This past spring parents needed to quickly switch gears as their students adapted to distance learning.
“We probably were thriving at it three days in total and the rest of the time, simply surviving it,” said Kim Anderson, Wayzata resident and mother of three students in the Wayzata School District.
Anderson said she, her husband and kids were committed to sticking with the online program.
Anderson family e-learning chart
“When things were starting to go off the rails, we stopped and took a break, went outside, rode bikes, got some fresh air,” said Anderson. “I knew in the back of my mind that we were in it for the long haul and I wasn’t willing to fight and get frustrated over getting it done when I knew how hard this was on them and us.”
Wayzata Public Schools Superintendent Chace Anderson
“We learned a lot from our distance learning last year and believe we will be even better capable to continue distance learning if needed this year,” said Chace Anderson. “As for in-person learning, we have been working throughout the summer with our staff to make sure we will have the safest environment for learning given the circumstances. A team of 40 staff from across the district are in the midst of planning for each of the scenarios that may be directed by the state and will be sharing more information with families and staff in early August.”
“Parents in the district have been reaching out to me, to other school board members, to principals and to the superintendent, in a variety of combinations, to articulate their hopes and concerns for the upcoming school year,” said Wayzata Public Schools Board Member Seanne Falconer. “These parent communications have been invaluable in bringing to light nuanced issues and offering novel solutions and I really appreciate that they’ve connected with me. I’ve kept a log of them as well as passed them all on to Dr. Anderson and his team who are building out the plans for every possible learning scenario.”
Wayzata Public Schools Board Member Seanne Falconer
“As a working parent of two young grade-schoolers, I’ve heard from many parents who are in my family’s exact same situation who offered very different ideas of what the district should do,” said Falconer. “But all of the communications I’ve received shared the same urgency and concern for their kids’ physical and emotional health, academic progress and access to the teachers and paraprofessionals that their kids rely on for their Wayzata education.”
“I believe a hybrid is probably the best, most reasonable and realistic approach,” said Kim Anderson.
“I believe in the risks and seriousness of COVID-19, so the idea of continuing to send my kids into an environment where they could catch it, bring it home and/or infect family members weighs on my mind and heart. But I balance that against their emotional, mental, and physical well-being and believe that some (if not all) in-person learning will be better for them, than staying at home.”
Wayzata Public Schools recently completed a survey that showed most parents prefer to have their children in school. The survey said that parents want this to be done in a safe manner.
“The challenge is how to accomplish that, which is what we are working on,” said Chace Anderson. “Our mission is to teach each and every student as safely as possible considering this global pandemic. “
Kim Anderson worries about her children getting sick and about the safety of teachers, friends and extended family members. But she acknowledges there is a balance between physical and mental health.
“I go back to the data, the general likelihood of mild symptoms in most people, especially children and weigh that against the overall emotional, physical and mental well-being of them being back at school,” said Kim Anderson.
Another survey found that most of the schools’ staff are comfortable with returning.
“We are experiencing something that we have never experienced before, that alone is enough to create concern,” said Chace Anderson. “We have dedicated professionals who believe in what they do, believe in their students and believe in our community and will be there with them every step of the way however learning may look in the fall.”
“I just want to thank all the teachers and staff of Wayzata Schools for all they did during the very difficult distance learning period of last school year,” said Kim Anderson. “And what they are continuing to do to evaluate the right, smartest and safest options for moving foward in the coming school year, in light of the ongoing pandemic. There was always updated and sufficient communication from the district, our teachers and staff at Gleason Lake were incredible.”
A twist on the average read aloud to keep distance learning fresh. Book rights: The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler with Beat by Dr.Dre purchased on ITunes
Wayzata High School grad Bharat K Pulgam joins Wayzata.com’s Dan Gustafson to discuss the idea behind Pikup.io, dropping out of the University of Minnesota, and his neighorhood delivery app during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Children who are five years old by September 1 are eligible to begin kindergarten.
Wayzata Public Schools offers early kindergarten entrance for children who turn five between September 2 and October 15 and reside in Wayzata Public Schools at the time of application.
Children who demonstrate superior intellectual ability, high levels of academic achievement, and social/emotional development well-advanced for their age may be considered for early kindergarten entrance.
Applications will be accepted through May 1.
District staff will evaluate eligible students from mid-May through June and will make a decision by June 30.
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