Minnesota Students Returning To School After Historic Cold

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As the temperatures rise in the wake of the polar vortex, life is getting back to normal across Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Schools across the state will welcome back students Friday morning after hundreds of districts canceled classes for up to four consecutive days this week due to snow and extreme arctic cold.

On Friday, there were only about a dozen late starts. Morris Area Schools will be closed because of boiler problems at the high school.

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During the cold snap, bus services, such as Monarch Bus Service in the Twin Cities, have been starting buses every few hours to make sure they keep running smoothly. Many fleets use diesel fuel, which gels up in the cold.

Drivers with Monarch also did test runs of their routes before picking up hundreds of kids in Minneapolis and St. Paul on Friday.

Gov. Tim Walz says local districts won't be penalized for keeping their students safe.

Walz, a former educator, expects the schools will reach their requirements without having to add more days.