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Albert Lea Area Schools officials announced today Albert Lea High School students will resume hybrid instruction on Monday.

The decision was made after consulting with public health officials and because of a reduced number of new COVID-19 cases from the school, according to a statement provided by the district.

High school activities can start practice again today. Games and meets that were originally scheduled for the week have started to be rescheduled, according to Albert Lea activities director Paul Durbahn. Updates on the activities schedule can be found at www.big9.org.

The activities department met with coaches and reviewed each programs COVID-19 preparedness plan and will be making some additions where they are needed. The department will also be modifying our health screening process to make it more rigorous. Each coach will be provided with an updated list of students that should be in quarantine.

Durbahn said the district and activities department will rely on families to help keep them up to date on the health of students.

“We are reliant on our families to continue to be honest about their situation and symptoms they are experiencing,” Durbahn said. “This is to prevent larger spread and help keep others healthy.”

Though the county’s current numbers under the Minnesota Department of Health guidelines are now at 20.64 per 10,000 people, the district will remain in-person for elementary students, as there have not been any positive cases among elementary students since the start of school.

The district stated on its website there have been 25 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the district since school began, with 22 currently considered active.

The active cases include 18 at the high school, one at Area Learning Center, two at Southwest Middle School and one at Lakeview Elementary School.