How much you’ll learn about coronavirus cases in your student’s school depends on where you live. A Bridge Michigan analysis shows parents still can’t depend on schools or local health departments to voluntarily alert them to outbreaks.
Ron French
Ron French is the senior enterprise reporter at Bridge Michigan, covering a wide range of topics including rural communities, federal policy impacts, education and public health. Born and raised in Indiana, Ron came to Bridge in 2011 from The Detroit News, where he was a project reporter, and previously reported for newspapers across Indiana. He graduated from Purdue University.
Rooted in Okemos, Ron has become a true Michigander — complete with a family cabin Up North.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
A rural Michigan district has 15 COVID cases, one death, and few answers
Health officials say the school followed safety protocols, and the cases that suddenly proliferated in Carson City show how a coronavirus outbreak can happen anywhere. The district has ended in-person classes.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
COVID outbreaks spiking in Michigan K-12 schools and colleges
The number of K-12 schools with coronavirus outbreaks jumped from 28 to 46 schools in just a week. And there are now over 3,800 confirmed cases at colleges and universities across Michigan, numbers that are likely an undercount.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Michigan Tech, Houghton County move to online learning amid COVID
COVID-19 cases have quintupled in Houghton County in the western Upper Peninsula this month. The halt to in-person learning is scheduled to extend to Oct. 12.
Posted inMichigan Politics Watch
Whitmer orders Michigan schools to tell the public about COVID cases
Pressure mounted for more than a month on the administration to require more immediate public notifications of coronavirus outbreaks at Michigan schools as students returned for the fall term.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
MSU, U-M, Wayne State presidents: Don’t expect in-person classes until fall 2021
College students better keep recharging their laptops. Classes are likely to remain online rather than in-person for the full 2020-21 academic year at the University of Michigan, Wayne State and Michigan State.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
MSU called out on COVID cases, and warned football game may be at risk
Ingham County health officer Linda Vail said Michigan State has more than double the number of coronavirus cases listed on the school’s website. She said if case counts don’t drop, she would advise MSU to call off its opening game against Rutgers.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
COVID triples in Michigan K-12 schools, rises 60% at colleges in a week
There is a surge in cases in K-12 schools and on college campuses, but, so far, there’s no sign of increased hospitalizations.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Grand Valley State students ordered to stay home to tamp down COVID-19 upswing
COVID is spreading at Grand Valley through off-campus gatherings and students who become infected aren’t saying who they’ve been hanging out with, health officials said.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Coronavirus outbreaks force mandatory quarantine at 23 MSU frats, sororities
Saying an upswing in COVID cases is “quickly becoming a crisis,” Ingham County health officer orders lockdown on 30 frats, sororities and other big homes. The mandatory order comes after the health department recommended voluntary quarantines for some 38K students.