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What will K-12 education in Michigan look like this fall? Join us to discuss.
Senior Writer Ron French will moderate an online Lunch Break discussion with Michigan educators working to ensure a safe education environment in their districts this fall. Bridge readers are invited to join the conversation.
Michigan schools already planning for likely ‘rolling closures’ from COVID
School closures in other states have Michigan education leaders preparing for what they say are inevitable closures and quarantines this fall.
Michigan’s new coronavirus order: masks for little kids at camp, child care
Following an outbreak at a camp, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday issued another executive order requiring masks for those older than 2. Child care officials say most already were taking similar precautions.
Michigan school leaders: We need answers from Lansing now to open
Michigan schools are creating reopening plans for the fall during the coronavirus pandemic with little guidance from the state about what is required, and how they’ll be funded.
Opinion | Parents want options for school reopening plans amid COVID
Surveys make it clear that Michigan parents have strong, different views on how children should return to education this fall. Schools should respond by offering options.
Poll: Half of Michigan says their schools aren’t safe during COVID-19
Despite planned safety protocols in schools, half of residents surveyed aren’t sold on the notion of returning children to classroom settings in the midst of a global pandemic. Thirty-six percent said schools would be safe, a drop since earlier polling.
With ‘school policy in chaos,’ coronavirus delays debate in Michigan Senate
A Michigan senator’s positive test for COVID-19 has shut down debate this week for school reopening measures. Republicans want to require all districts to offer in-person classes.
Are Michigan schools safe to reopen? Here’s what science and doctors say
Some schools say classrooms aren’t safe, and others are hanging up the welcome sign (albeit with plenty of face masks). It’s confusing even for epidemiologists.
Education leaders beg Lansing: Don’t cut funds for poor Michigan students
Michigan schools are likely to get less money in the coming state budget due to the economic crisis caused by coronavirus. One group urges lawmakers to make those cuts with a scalpel rather than an ax.
Michigan superintendent: Don’t force schools to resume in-person classes
Michigan districts are up against it to decide fall plans, and officials are worried that some will poach neighboring students. Superintendent Mike Rice wants to avoid that by freezing enrollment counts that are used to determine funding.
Michigan school districts push back on GOP plan for elementary classes
Grand Rapids joins Ann Arbor, Lansing and other large districts in planning to begin this fall with remote learning in all grades. A Republican bill, if passed, would threaten those districts with loss of state funds.
Battle in Michigan schools over need for standardized tests this year
Depending on who you ask, standardized tests are either more important than ever as students return to school after almost six months at home, or are the last thing students and teachers need during a pandemic.
Detroit schools will reopen in the fall even if the Legislature takes action
Detroit Public Schools Community District’s school board and superintendent doubled down on a reopening plan amid complaints from teachers, students and community members who said it’s too early to return to in-classroom instruction. Now it’s up to the Legislature to make administrative changes that would support public school districts in online learning.
Judge: Detroit summer school students must get coronavirus test by Friday
In what could be a precursor to battles this fall over school attendance during the pandemic, a parent group won a court battle to require coronavirus testing of summer school students in Detroit.
First Michigan school district to go fully online amid coronavirus
Students in Lansing will start the school year online. Will other Michigan school districts do the same? Most districts expect to make their plans public in the coming weeks.
Michigan schools lean toward returning kids to classrooms amid coronavirus
Students may wear face masks and may eat lunch at their desks, but the majority of Michigan schools that have announced plans for the fall are planning to offer families the option of full-time, face-to-face instruction.
Some Detroit students return to classes amid protests over coronavirus safety
Protestors blocked buses from picking up children in Detroit Monday, in a tense scene that captured the struggle between education and safety amidst a pandemic.
Will coronavirus curb ACT and SAT admissions tests at Michigan colleges?
High school students can’t find sites to take high-stakes tests, or are seeing sites cancelling exams due to COVID-19. With more colleges already going test-optional, could these entrance exams be on the wane?
Whitmer: Michigan school reopening threatened by rising coronavirus cases
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned Michigan families Thursday: If you want kids back in school in September, wear face masks today. She also hinted at stronger enforcement actions in the coming days.
Huge drop in Michigan vaccinations scares experts during coronavirus
Michigan vaccinations in May were down 46 percent, raising health concerns about the flu and other illnesses. More troubling: rates for children 9 to 18 were down 66 percent, casting doubt on whether they will be allowed to enroll in school in the fall.