KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Kalamazoo Public Schools officials are outlining their three possible options for how students can attend school this fall.
Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri says the plans are still being refined, but parents will be able to choose what’s best for their family.
The three options would be face to face instruction for five days, a fully virtual options for parents who are not comfortable sending their children back to school, and a hybrid option that would involve both in-person and remote learning.
She adds that schools will be sanitized and protocols will be in place to make sure they’re safe. They will also use guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Michigan’s “MI Safe Start Plan.”
In a meeting back in June KPS school officials also talked about taking into consideration recommendations from the Michigan Department of Education, the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department, and best practices shared by other districts.
During their virtual meeting Thursday evening the Kalamazoo Public School Board also approved spending nearly $200,000 to purchase 500,000 facemasks for staff and students.
A new effort funded by the Foundation for Excellence will also make sure homes have WiFi, giving more low-income students access to online learning. Families will be able to obtain a server from the library.
But this could all change if Michigan does dial back on the current reopening phases. “There are still many unknowns,” Raichoudhuri said.
In fact on Thursday Governor Gretchen Whitmer wrote on Twitter, “I want to make this clear — I will not send our kids and our education workforce into our schools unless it is safe to do so, plain and simple. I have made decisions based on science and facts to keep Michiganders safe since the beginning, and won’t stop now.”
During a press briefing in late June the governor released the “MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap,” and said that school districts will be required to adopt a COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan that details how they will protect students and educators in different reopening situations. If Michigan remains in phase four, in-person instruction can resume with strict safety protocols in place.
Dr. Raichoudhuri says she is still taking public input and will release their final plan in early August, just in time for the tentative first day of school date on August 31st.
