Minnesota schools shut down, teachers union demands ICE leave city
Additional schools throughout Minnesota canceled classes Friday in light of ongoing unrest after the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal agent on Wednesday.
Fridley Public Schools announced the district will not host in-person classes on Friday, joining Minneapolis Public Schools after officials canceled classes on Thursday through the remainder of the week, according to Fox 9 Minneapolis.
"We need ICE out of Minneapolis now," Catina Taylor, president of the Educational Support Professionals Chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators, said in a press conference on Friday. "We need ICE away from our schools now. Since arriving, ICE has been a dangerous and out-of-control force putting every Minnesotan in danger."
Columbia Heights Public Schools also said they are shifting to a Flex Learning Day on Friday.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told "America's Newsroom" Friday that "our law enforcement does not go into schools unless there is a public safety threat within those schools."
"What we saw on Wednesday, which one of those educators was referring to, was there was an individual who was assaulting our law enforcement, and he started a chase that went about five miles," McLaughlin said, responding to the teachers union. "The subject of this chase started going over barriers, he was running red lights, and eventually he took the chase onto school grounds. Our law enforcement did not go into this school and made sure to diffuse the situation."
The move comes after a surge of more than 2,000 federal agents arrived in the Twin Cities this week, ramping up immigration efforts throughout the area.
On Wednesday, Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent after allegedly moving her vehicle toward the officer, in what has been described by DHS as an act of "self-defense."
Later that day, ICE agents deployed a chemical irritant outside of Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis and took at least one staff member into custody.
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"A mother was murdered, an elementary school was forced to lock down," Taylor said. "Grown men use pepper spray on terrified high school students, on school property – and that was just on Wednesday. This is the opposite of protecting our kids. This is the opposite of keeping the peace."
According to data released by the National Assessment of Education Progress, less than half of Minnesota students in both fourth and eighth grades were able to demonstrate proficiency in math and reading in the 2024 school year.
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"What we’re seeing is that our students are still in recovery mode from the onset of the pandemic," Julio Caesar, executive director of research, evaluation and assessment at Bloomington Public Schools, told MPR News at the time.
However, Minnesota eighth graders ranked fourth in the nation in math scores in 2024, with fourth graders ranking in the top 10 among states.
Gov. Tim Walz also called for a "Day of Unity" on Friday in light of Good’s death and the ongoing tensions within the city, asking for a moment of silence at 10 a.m.
"As long as ICE is in Minnesota, we won't be safe," Taylor said. "On this day of mourning, our hearts go out to Renee Good and her family. To make sure no one else has to suffer this devastating loss, ICE needs to stay away from all of our schools, starting today."
Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.