Students gather and listen to speakers during a school walkout to protest federal immigration enforcement at the State Capitol building on Jan. 14, 2026, in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Numerous studies and reports have been released in recent years showing that remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic severely hindered student learning, including a Department of Education report in 2022, reported on by Fox News Digital, showing math and reading scores declined more during the coronavirus pandemic than they have in decades.
Since the ICE shooting that set off protests and violent agitators across Minneapolis, numerous videos have circulated on social media showing young school-age children at protests, including one apparent student walk-out at the Minnesota state capitol.
Paul Runko, senior director of Strategic Initiatives for Defending Education, told Fox News Digital, "Nearly six years after the start of the COVID pandemic, American families know that school closures and mass remote learning were a complete disaster for kids; academically, socially, emotionally, and mentally."
PROFESSORS WERE DISCIPLINED FOR VULGAR POSTS AFTER CHARLIE KIRK'S ASSASSINATION: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Minneapolis police in tactical gear arrive on the street in downtown Minneapolis as protesters gather on Jan. 17, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
Rhyen Staley, director of research for Defending Education, told Fox News Digital that far-left ideology is ingrained in educational decisions being made throughout the state.
"What is happening with Minnesota schools is a feature, not a bug, of the current dominant ideology permeating Colleges of Education and the education system writ large," Staley said. "Too many teachers are being trained to be far-left social justice activists to the detriment of the children they are hired to serve. This tragically will continue until this is changed."
Fox News Digital reached out to Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools for comment.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/experts-warn-minnesota-school-closures-after-ice-shooting-will-harm-kids-for-political-points