Michigan K-12 schools

Desks won’t be six feet apart at your child’s elementary school in September, even if that’s the rule in restaurants. School officials say bringing students back full time would make social distancing nearly impossible.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s school reopening plan has one surprising takeaway: Schools can choose whether or not to bring all students back to class at the same time, with no state requirement that forces schools to run classes in shifts.

Most parents want schools to reopen in September, according to a University of Michigan poll.

With Michigan facing a $2.39 billion shortfall in its education budget, schools across the state are bracing for what could be the largest cut in state history.

With an ongoing pandemic and Depression-level unemployment, the state superintendent, a bipartisan group of legislators and leading superintendents want to take a year break from the M-STEP in 2020-21. 

Michigan Republicans propose shipping the majority of the state’s remaining CARES Act funds to schools, and requiring schools to offer in-person education for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

An analysis of K-12 schools found huge numbers of low-income students in rural and urban areas lack Internet access or the computers needed for online education. Without equal access, achievement gaps are likely to grow.

Liza McArdle taught foreign languages for 27 years. Now, she’s saying adios to teaching, saying she fears safety precautions won’t be enough to protect her from catching potentially deadly COVID-19 at Huron High School.