Northville Public Schools has banned cell phones and smartwatches in classrooms, citing distractions from social media and the need to keep students focused and safe.

The Northville Educational Foundation is partnering with Northville Public Schools for the eighth Annual Northville Parent Camp.

Northville Public Schools held a special board meeting Monday (Feb. 21) night about its mask mandate, voting to make masks optional for students and staff.

Here are this morning's top stories.

A new school district has taken over the top spot in Niche’s 2022 rankings for the best districts in Michigan.

A suburban Detroit school official who was paid $6,500 after her district bought education materials from a vendor has pleaded guilty.

NORTHVILLE, Mich. – Northville Public Schools has worked with a hybrid school year with students learning in person. On Monday, the district met to discuss the future of in-person learning. ”Whatever happens it’s not going to please everyone,” said district superintendent Mary Kay Gallagher, who laid out a recommendation for the district. During public comment, several parents, who are also doctors and healthcare workers, pushed hard for in-person learning. READ: Michigan’s ‘3-week pause’ COVID restrictions in effect: What to knowYou can watch the full report in the video posted above.

Shortly after Sunday’s announcement that universities, colleges and high schools will go with fully remote learning, the Northville Public Schools district announced it will comply. READ: MDHHS announces stricter COVID-19 rules for Michigan restaurants, high schools, colleges, remote workingHigh schools and colleges will be closed for the next three weeks. As the 2020-21 school year has gone on, state health officials have pointed to high schools as major areas of concern. “Of the 200 outbreaks that we are currently investigating, 49% of them are associated with high schools,” Khaldun said. I think that’s one thing that’s going to be difficult on a college campus is simply is how it’s going to be different.

NORTHVILLE, Mich. – Officials with Northville Public Schools announced Northville High School would switch to remote learning Wednesday in compliance with the new precautions put in place due to COVID-19. In a letter to parents, the district said Northville High School will switch to full virtual instruction Wednesday and all sports and clubs that include in-person gatherings are suspended during this time. Nov. 15: Wayne County COVID-19 data: Tracking cases, deaths; City-by-city breakdownNorthville High School will remain online-only until at least Dec. 8. Michigan high school sports now suspended under new state COVID orderThe Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) has suspended its fall tournaments in response to a new public health order issued by state health officials on Sunday. This includes the suspension girls volleyball, girls swimming and diving, and football tournaments, and all winter practices and competitions scheduled to begin over the next three weeks.

DETROIT – Here’s what you missed on Local 4 News at Noon. Northville Public Schools: More than 75 students in quarantine after out-of-school partiesThe Northville Public Schools district superintendent sent a letter to families, students and staff on Wednesday explaining why more than 75 of the district’s roughly 7,000 students are quarantining.

Gallagher said two positive cases of COVID connected with the out-of-school parties resulted in more 75 quarantined students as of Wednesday. Trending 📈‘Count Scary and Me’: Former WDIV director reflects on taping ‘Scary’ specialsIf you grew up in the Detroit area in the 1980s, you probably remember “Count Scary,” a character played by Detroit radio personality Tom Ryan, who appeared on WDIV from 1982 to the early 1990s as a vampire who loved B horror films. His famous catch phrase was “Ooooh, that’s scaary!” Count Scary would rank the scary level of each movie with a scale of pants, referring to scaring your pants off. The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 167,545 as of Wednesday, including 7,257 deaths, state officials report. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 42,000 as of Tuesday, its highest mark on record.

NORTHVILLE, Mich. – The Northville Public Schools district superintendent sent a letter to families, students and staff on Wednesday explaining why more than 75 of the district’s roughly 7,000 students are quarantining. During the past two months, the Northville Public Schools district has offered families the choice of in-person school. Meanwhile, on Monday the Northville Public Schools district did not have enough bus drivers available in the morning due to COVID-19 exposure that has had drivers quarantining. Contact tracing also revealed that, in some cases, students who were supposed to be quarantined due to a family exposure still participated in out-of-school activities. The Wayne County Public Health Division has reviewed and approved Northville Public Schools’ COVID-19 Mitigation Plan for each of our current in-person instruction scenarios.

NORTHVILLE, Mich. – The Northville Public Schools district did not have enough bus drivers available Monday morning due to COVID-19 exposure that has drivers quarantining. At that time, and in consultation with Durham Transportation, a plan was developed to ensure continuity of operations during this time. The only transportation services available on Monday, October 26, 2020 will be for those students scheduled for door-to-door Special Education transportation. Northville Public Schools will continue to work closely with Durham Transportation to resume K12 transportation as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding in light of this unexpected development resulting from Durham staff quarantines, and additional absences."

The 2021 Best Schools list has been released -- and we’re taking a look at where Michigan districts fall on the list. Niche released their annual school rankings list this week, breaking down the best schools at every level and by every state. Here’s how they develop the rankings:“The 2021 Best School Districts ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings, and more.” (Read more here on calculations)So where did Michigan school districts rank in the state? 25 best school districts in MichiganNovi Community School District Northville Public Schools Troy School District Okemos Public Schools Bloomfield Hills Schools Birmingham Public Schools Oakland Schools Grosse Pointe Public Schools Saline Area Schools Ann Arbor Public Schools St. Joseph Public Schools Forest Hills Public Schools (Grand Rapids) East Grand Rapids Public Schools Rochester Community School District North Muskegon Public Schools Chelsea School District Portage Public Schools Van Buren Independent School District West Bloomfield School District Spring Lake Public Schools East Lansing School District Lake Orion Community Schools West Ottawa Public Schools Hudsonville Public School District Berkley School DistrictYou can check out the full list here.

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. 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. Middle school students will engage in core math, science, language and history classes in person and engage in elective courses online.

NORTHVILLE, Mich. The Northville School Board voted on Tuesday to remove the board president following his controversial comments about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. READ: Petition demands Northville School Board president resign over social media postThe school board president, Matthew Wilks, recently shared a post on Facebook suggesting the coronavirus pandemic is a hoax. A petition was started demanding he resign. Watch the report from Monday night below:

NORTHVILLE, Mich. – The future of the Northville School Board President was the focus of a meeting held on Monday night. UPDATE: Northville School Board votes to remove president over controversial social media postThe school board president, Matthew Wilks, recently shared a post on Facebook suggesting the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a hoax. READ: Northville School Board President makes controversial comments on COVID-19The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Michigan has risen to 74,152 as of Monday, including 6,126 deaths, state officials report. The meeting was originally planned to be about the district’s school re-entry plan, but it quickly turned into a question on if the president should resign. At this point, there has not been any vote or decision if he will be removed.

Petition demands Northville School Board president resign over social media postPublished: July 20, 2020, 11:13 pmThe future of the Northville School Board President was the focus of a meeting held on Monday night.

NORTHVILLE, Mich. A local school board president is in trouble for what he posted on Facebook, about the Coronavirus. Northville Public School Board President Matthew Wilks Facebook page is getting a lot of attention after he suggested the coronavirus is a hoax. Part of that post states, This pandemic exists only in falsified statistics, shouted on the news without context.As a parent, and as a PTA President, Im very disappointed, said Ridge Wood Elementary PTA President Lisa McIntyre. RELATED: School confessional: School is not ready for students to returnI wish that this wasnt real, said Dr. Rana Awdish with Henry Ford Hospital. COVID has been catastrophic and we have to make sure that we address it in the best way possible.

NORTHVILLE, Mich. – A Northville Public Schools teacher is in custody and could be facing serious criminal charges. Families of students that attend Northville schools were notified Monday morning. The superintendent said one of the male Northville High School teachers has been arrested and is under administrative leave upon further review. Upon learning of these serious allegations, the teacher was placed on administrative leave, pending our review of the situation and completion of the criminal process. Sincerely,Mary Kay Gallagher, SuperintendentTony Koski, Principal, Northville High School

A new report ranks the best school districts in Michigan heading into the 2019-2020 school year. Niche released their 2020 best school rankings, looking at the top schools and top districts in every state. "The 2020 Best School Districts ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings, and more." Here are the top 25 school districts in Michigan, according to Niche:1.

ANN ARBOR - Community High School has been designated a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School for its academic excellence. It is rare for this esteemed honor to be given to a high school program, with a very small percentage of high schools awarded in the U.S. " Like what you're reading? Congratulations to the Community High School staff, students, parents and community." "National Blue Ribbon Schools are active demonstrations of preparing every child for a bright future," DeVos said in a video message to the honorees. For the past 37 years, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has recognized more than 9,000 U.S. schools for excellence.