LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Students learning at home may not get a chance to enter the classroom again this school year.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer said Friday morning that the chance of K-12 schools reopening this year was “very unlikely” due to a surge in statewide cases of COVID-19.
All public, private, and boarding school facilities are currently closed to students after Whitmer issued an executive order requiring them to temporarily shut down Monday, March 16.
Prior to that decision some K-12 school districts had already announced multi-week long closures and a switch to online learning programs for students to use. The executive order was originally set to expire April 6, but has since been pushed back to April 13 to coincide with the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order.
When the governor first announced the school closure the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state had totaled 12. Now the number of state residents testing positive for the illness has reached 3,657 in a two week timespan.
Speaking during an interview with WWJ in Detroit, Whitmer says closing schools past the order’s expiration date is quickly becoming a greater possibility.
“We are working diligently to come up with a plan to meet the needs of our kids. Anyone who’s watching globally what’s happening with this pandemic probably knows it’s not going to be this year,” said Whitmer.
The Michigan Department of Education has estimated that there are nearly 1.5 million K-12 students attending school throughout the state.
Whitmer said she has not yet finalized a decision whether to shut down classrooms for the rest of the school year, working with state education officials to ensure all districts have a plan in place to continue remote education.
“It’s not something you develop overnight because we’ve got an inequitable system across the state of Michigan,” Whitmer said.
State Superintendent Michael Rice released a statement on Friday stating that he would support the governor if she decided to extend school closures.
“The governor is working with public health experts to ensure the health and safety of Michigan residents to the maximum extent possible during this emergency situation. We support what she thinks is in the best interest of public health, without exception,” said Rice.
A memo recently sent out by the Michigan Department of Education said that online learning done by students during the COVID-19 closure would not count toward the 180 days, or 1,098 hours of face-to-face instruction mandated by state law.
“Earlier today, the Michigan Department of Education issued a memo that caused confusion & panic among schools, teachers, & students,” Whitmer tweeted in response to the announcement. “Let me be clear: the memo does not mean that school work done during mandatory school closure won’t “count” toward grades, credits, or graduation.”
The governor has said she will take steps to ensure K-12 students do not get held back because they fail to meet face-to-face instruction time requirements. An announcement is expected next week by Governor Whitmer on how she plans to address the requirements and whether school closures will continue.
