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To prosper, Michigan must be a more educated place. Bridge will explore the challenges in education and identify policies and initiatives that address them.
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First Person | I opened schools early. Then COVID struck. I stand by the call.
No doubt, the coronavirus is dangerous, but so is social isolation, writes a superintendent, whose district had the first student in northern Michigan test positive for COVID-19.
COVID triples in Michigan K-12 schools, rises 60% at colleges in a week
There is a surge in cases in K-12 schools and on college campuses, but, so far, there’s no sign of increased hospitalizations.
How do Michigan universities compare on COVID outbreaks? Hard to tell
The University of Michigan counts COVID tests it administers on its website, but leaves out testing performed by county health officials. Disparate testing plans from school to school make it difficult to compare coronavirus spread across campuses.
Coronavirus outbreaks force mandatory quarantine at 23 MSU frats, sororities
Saying an upswing in COVID cases is “quickly becoming a crisis,” Ingham County health officer orders lockdown on 30 frats, sororities and other big homes. The mandatory order comes after the health department recommended voluntary quarantines for some 38K students.
How a few coronavirus cases ended classes at a rural Michigan school
For every student that tested positive, there were dozens of friends or classmates found to be in close contact with them, sidelining them from the classroom as well.
State identifies Michigan K-12 schools and colleges with COVID outbreaks
The public can now see what K-12 schools and colleges in the state have coronavirus outbreaks, thanks to new state reporting championed by Bridge Michigan and other media outlets. There are now more than 1,300 college cases.
Officials urge 38,000 MSU students to quarantine 14 days after COVID spike
Ingham County says 342 people linked to MSU tested positive for COVID. County health officials say off-campus parties contribute to the rise and warn that its recommendation will become an order if case increases continue.
Whitmer thanks Michigan COVID essential workers with free community college
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer set aside $24 million in federal CARES Act funds to allow people required to work through the height of the coronavirus crisis to receive a free associate’s degree at a local community college.
Michigan colleges pass 1,000 COVID cases. Apparently, students like to party.
Strict health protocols on campuses aren’t stopping the spread of coronavirus. With cases rising fast, some experts fear more a wave of deaths, but others say aggressive testing and quarantining could prevent the worst from happening.
First Person | Back to school in Michigan: Too new, weird and heartbreaking
An 11th-grader in Beaverton in central Michigan returns to school. Mask compliance is shaky. Emotions are raw. And students and teachers are doing their best to cope with a bizarre new reality.
Whitmer’s ‘real-time’ school coronavirus outbreak data could be a week old
Michigan will begin listing schools with outbreaks Monday, but disclosure is bogged down by testing delays and reporting lag times. Some fear the information will be so dated, it could be of little use to parents.
Betsy DeVos: Michigan can expect standardized tests, despite COVID-19
Michigan school leaders asked for a waiver from federal requirements for such tests because of the pandemic. DeVos said no, arguing that the pandemic makes it even more critical to measure and compare school performance.
Quesadillas, Netflix and silence in Central Michigan’s ‘COVID dorm’
The hallways are deadly quiet. They can hear sounds from other rooms but don’t know who lives there, and can’t visit. Life in CMU’s COVID Dorm is an eerie, monotonous journey for two, now-separated roommates.
From CMU to tiny Adrian, COVID-19 keeps marching through Michigan colleges
With coronavirus cases spiking on some campuses, colleges are adjusting to ‘the inevitable.’
Two weeks into classes, Central Michigan University has 178 COVID-19 cases
The outbreak at the mid-Michigan public university started with off-campus parties. Now, there are cases in dorms, too.
8 new COVID outbreaks in Michigan schools, colleges. State won’t name them
There are now 14 new or ongoing coronavirus outbreaks in Michigan K-12 schools and colleges. Where are they? How many cases? The state still won’t provide that information.
Most Michigan students have option: Return to class or learn at home
About 8 in 10 Michigan K-12 school children can go back to school buildings this fall if they want; the majority also have the option of continuing to learn from home during the pandemic.
Michigan school reopening tracker: Find out if your district is starting in person or online
A few dozen districts are offering parents a choice between in-person learning and online learning. Many are starting the school year remotely and planning to transition to face-to-face instruction when conditions allow.
Deal to avoid Detroit teachers ‘safety’ strike would offer COVID-19 testing, hazard pay
The Detroit district and the union had been at odds over safe working conditions for teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The deal comes about a week after union members voted to allow leadership to launch a safety strike if certain demands weren’t met.
Teachers: Michigan must improve transparency on COVID outbreaks at schools
State law gives schools wide discretion on whether to inform the public if there’s an outbreak. That must change, says a union representing 120,000 teachers and support staff.