Osseo Area Schools Get $1.1M Grant For Coronavirus Testing

MAPLE GROVE, MN — The state of Minnesota has granted the Osseo Area School District more than $1.14 million to fund a coronavirus testing program during the 2021-22 academic year.

The funds are part of the state's efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure in-person learning can continue amid the ongoing pandemic. Minnesota’s $55 million school testing program is supported by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Many school districts across the state have not yet applied for the funding. The deadline for districts to apply is Oct. 15 after the Minnesota Department of Health extended the application window last week.

Education Commissioner Heather Mueller said the testing program will help keep students in schools, which she called “the very best place for our students to receive an education and to develop the important social-emotional skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

Last week, 231 Minnesota K-12 schools were on the Minnesota Department of Health's list of schools that have had recent COVID-19 outbreaks.

Four schools in Independent School District 279 were included on the state’s list — Weaver Lake Elementary, Fernbrook Elementary, Maple Grove Middle School and Maple Grove Senior High — along with Parnassus Preparatory Charter School.

Editor William Bornhoft contributed to this report.