DETROIT – Even the best laid plans had to be scrapped this year due to the coronavirus pandemic -- that especially goes for in-person learning plans at school districts across Metro Detroit.
With cases on the rise in Michigan, districts are facing some very difficult decisions. On Tuesday night, the Farmington school district decided to keep its secondary kids home with virtual learning until the end of January.
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Not every district is feeling that pressure. Two thirds of Wayne County schools started the year with remote learning -- some are looking to get children back into the classroom at least part time.
“In Wayne County the past six weeks have seen an improvement, even though statewide the numbers are going up. We’re starting to see the numbers go back up, but we’re in pretty good shape,” Wayne Resa Superintendent Randy Liepa said.
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In Nov, just last Thursday the school board decided to continue its hybrid model -- with two days in class and the rest of the week remote learning. Superintendent Dr. Steve Matthews said some parents want children back in class full time, but that could be disruptive.
“Bringing them back in November would lead to changing teachers, changing schedules which would be disruptive for students," Matthews said. "The numbers haven’t changed significantly to bring students back didn’t make sense to us.”
Most districts are watching the coronavirus numbers from its local health department very closely. They said they’re making their calls based on those numbers as they change.
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