DETROIT — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday morning that it’s “very unlikely” Michigan students will return to classrooms this school year.
“We are working diligently to come up with a plan to meet the needs of our kids,” Whitmer said during an interview on WWJ Newsradio. “Anyone who’s watching globally what’s happening with this pandemic probably knows it’s not going to be this year.”
The statement comes as a growing number of educators pressed Whitmer, state lawmakers and State Superintendent Michael Rice for answers on how the school year will play out.
In a letter Wednesday, educators called on state officials “to immediately provide clarity to Michiganders on what’s next for our children. Further delay creates uncertainty for countless communities across our state.”
The letter was sent on behalf of the Michigan Association of School Boards as well as associations representing school superintendents and intermediate school districts.
Asked at a news conference Thursday when educators could expect a plan, Whitmer said it would likely come “in the next week or so.”
“The powers of the executive office are immense, especially in times like these,” Whitmer said. “But I cannot unilaterally address the issues around the education of our kids. So we are working. We’ve already had a lot of meetings with the Legislature, with the Michigan Department of Education, with our experts on the front line, superintendents and teachers, to make sure that we have a thoughtful solution.”
Two lawmakers, State Rep. Darrin Camilleri, D-Brownstown, and Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, said they already have legislation drafted to forgive missed days, fix teacher evaluations and address questions related to a third-grade reading law that retains students who don’t read at a high enough level. But for expediency, they urged Whitmer to act on her own.
“We are ready and willing to address this legislatively,” Camilleri and Polehanki said in a statement. “But to act faster and provide clarity for our school districts, we urge the governor to close schools for the rest of the year to protect our students, teachers, and families.”
Earlier this week, Detroit schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti urged leaders in Lansing to scrap plans to return to school buildings this year.
“Declare schools closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year,” Vitti wrote in an open letter. “Require all districts to develop an online learning platform within a reasonable amount of time. This can include distributing laptops with internet access to families.”
Some school districts have already done that while others have said they don’t have the capacity to transition to online learning. Education equity advocates also have raised alarms about poor students who may be left behind under such a move because they lack internet access and devices to access school content.
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