Michigan schools look to state for direction as closure continues

By RICHARD JENKINS

[email protected]

As students across the state of Michigan continue to stay home in compliance with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order closing schools in response to the coronavirus pandemic, districts await word on whether classes will resume this year and if they’ll be forced to make up any lost days.

“We’re pushing for some direction on that, because that will inform decisions we make regarding virtual learning, or offline learning for families that don’t have reliable internet access,” Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate Schools Superintendent Alan Tulppo told the Daily Globe last week.

Whitmer originally ordered all schools in Michigan closed through April 6 in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, but later extended that order through April 13.

“The earliest we’d be back in session would be April 14,” Tulppo said. “Right now, we’re all mandated to close until then.”

Districts that are able are allowed to continue providing food service during the closure, according to Tulppo.

Although schools are closed until this middle of April at the earliest, it remains unclear whether the missed days will be counted against the instruction hour requirements the state has.

Tulppo said districts can miss up to six days for things like snow days or illnesses without needing to apply for an additional waiver. Last year, the GOISD’s member districts were granted waivers for three additional days.

If the state doesn’t grant a waiver, Tulppo said districts would have to make up approximately nine or 10 days -- if classes resume on April 14.

The state’s department of education announced earlier this month it wouldn’t be considering any distance learning completed during the current closure as counting toward required instructional hours, citing the need to ensure equal access and the inability to monitor attendance. State law requires a 75% minimum attendance threshold for a day to count towards the instruction-requirements.

“State law limits us in this situation – not for an individual child in an individual cyber school or an individual virtual course offering, but for children across the state, many of whom have no computers at home, no connectivity, and no adults to monitor their learning and/or technology,” State Superintendent Michael Rice said in the announcement.

“The state legislature should change state law to permit days out of school for this public health emergency to be counted as instructional days. Last year, the state legislature took similar action with the polar vortex January 29 through February 2, 2019,” Rice added. “Under the current conditions, the legislature should make clear in law that the school year will not be extended into the summer.”

Tulppo said he was disappointed to hear the department’s decision.

“I was really disappointed to hear that, because we do have schools that want to be providing some instructional time that would count towards the days and hours requirements we need to meet according to state law,” he said.

He acknowledged internet access is certainly an issue locally, but said that there were mechanisms in the past for distance learning that didn’t require internet access.

“We have families that live in areas that don’t have reliable broadband connections and we have families that just simply can’t afford it in this area,” Tulppo said. “What we’re pushing the state to do is to obviously allow schools to offer online instruction and count it as instructional hours towards the requirement, but we’re also pushing them to allow us to offer offline learning opportunities too -- so the traditional paper/pencil route for families that don’t have reliable internet access or can’t afford it.”

He said this method, known as the offline seat time waiver program, was in place as recently as the 2016-17 school year.

“We’re hoping they’ll bring back a version of that if they aren’t going … to waive some of these days,” he continued.

Tulppo declined to speculate on whether students would return to the classroom this year.

“I couldn’t even venture a guess on that right now,” he said,

Tulppo said he had hoped the state legislature would act last week to provide some direction for districts, however, the Detroit Free Press reported the legislature cancelled its expected session without acting on the legislation.

Given the uncertainty, Tulppo asked residents to be patient with their local districts.

“They’re doing the best they can with the information we have from the state right now,” he said.