Cloquet schools superintendent Michael Cary woke up at 5 a.m. Sunday, March 15 to numerous messages on his cell phone.

Five hours later, the rest of the state got the message that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was requiring every school district in the state to close by Wednesday, March 18 through March 27.

Ostensibly, the time off is to be used to make plans for "distance learning" for students, in case schools close for a longer period of time following the break in response to the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

"The governor's closure is for planning purposes, not...