KSTP Created: December 17, 2020 07:41 AM Some Minnesota school districts are meeting Thursday to discuss the next steps in getting students back in class. Wednesday, Gov. Tim Walz said all elementary schools will be allowed to reopen for in-person learning starting Jan. 18, if certain guidelines are followed. It's a big move for younger students, parents and teachers. Some of those strategies include providing and requiring staff to wear a face shield and mask and offering voluntary COVID-19 testing to educators. State educational leaders say there will also be some guidelines for students. "In-person learning always had the plan where students did not need to be physically distanced and so that is one of the pieces that we are going to implement," Minnesota Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Heather Mueller said. "But we did say they are going to need to wear masks as one of the executive orders and so they will continue to wear masks."