Even as the Centers for Disease Control urges Michigan to close down part of its economy to stop a dangerous COVID spike, residents seem done with restrictions.
Ron French
Ron reports on a variety of subjects across the state. Ron came to Bridge in 2011 from The Detroit News, where he was a project reporter. Born and raised in Indiana, Ron graduated from Purdue University. He reported for newspapers across Indiana before moving to Michigan in 1995. Ron lives in Okemos, and like the true Michigander he’s become, he now has a family cabin Up North. You can reach him at rfrench@bridgemi.com or 517-214-3636.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan colleges rush to get COVID vaccine in student arms amid surge
Michigan plans to distribute thousands of doses of the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine to public and private colleges in coming days, in hopes of immunizing students before they leave campuses as the school year ends.
Posted inTalent & Education
Students in COVID-weary Michigan schools must take M-STEP, feds say
Michigan schools must give the state standardized test, but fewer students might take it this year than normal. State education officials contend pandemic learning was too chaotic this year to yield an accurate portrait of student achievement.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan school COVID outbreaks surge 47% in 2 weeks; some return to remote
State officials say they have no plans to order school buildings to close again because of the pandemic. But with COVID cases skyrocketing, some schools are going remote on their own.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan schools cheered when sports came back. Then came COVID outbreaks.
Coronavirus outbreaks in schools increased after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer allowed winter sports like basketball and wrestling to resume. Was it worth it?
Posted inTalent & Education
COVID outbreaks jump 20 percent in Michigan schools. More closures ahead?
Superintendents throughout Michigan are begging students and parents to stay vigilant on spring break — or face more closures.
Posted inTalent & Education
Will Michigan students take M-STEP test this year? Here’s what we know.
Michigan’s standardized test is a few weeks away, and schools are preparing to administer it. But it still could be canceled because of COVID-19, and officials aren’t sure which students will be required to take it.
Posted inTalent & Education
Teacher retirements soar in Michigan schools amid COVID pandemic
The number of Michigan teachers who are leaving classrooms is up 40 percent this school year compared to typical years, as the stress of pandemic teaching drives some to retire or resign.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan schools reopened. Then came a spike in COVID outbreaks
With coronavirus cases surging, some Michigan schools are temporarily moving back to online learning. There’s no sign of a statewide school shutdown, though.
Posted inTalent & Education
As COVID spread, far fewer Michigan high school grads enrolled in college
The enrollment drop last fall was particularly pronounced among Black, Hispanic, and low-income students, groups hit hard by the pandemic and the resulting economic strain. See how college enrollment rates in your school district changed in 2020.