NORTHVILLE, Mich. – Northville Public Schools announced Thursday a plan to begin the 2020-21 school year entirely online in the fall due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
However, the district plans to transition students to in-person learning no later than the first week of October, officials said.
Recommended Videos
The Virtual Start program will be executed at all elementary, middle and high schools in the district. All classes begin on Sept. 8 and the transition to in-person learning is slated to begin on Oct. 2.
In October, elementary students can expect to transition into full-time, in-person learning Monday through Friday. Officials say students will be broken up into cohorts that may consist of rotating teachers.
Middle and high school students will transition into a hybrid learning option, in which students will rotate between in-person and virtual learning every other day, officials said. Middle school students will engage in core math, science, language and history classes in person and engage in elective courses online.
Cooke School, self-contained special education classrooms and other special programs will transition students into in-person learning throughout the month of September, officials said.
Students will also have the option to carry out the entire 2020-21 school year online instead of transitioning to in-person learning with the Virtual Start program.
Parents and guardians are being asked to identify which learning option their student will commit to by Aug. 12. An official form is being emailed to families where they can select their choice.
Officials say that parents who do not identify a preferred learning option by Aug. 12 will automatically be enrolled in the Virtual Start program and the in-person learning model tailored to the student’s grade level.
The district’s board of education approved the Virtual Start program on Tuesday, officials said.
Visit Northville Public Schools’ website here for the latest information.