Public schools losing students during pandemic

Public schools in the state of Michigan have lost an unprecedented number of students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s Center for Education and Performance Information has confirmed that 53,200 students are no longer on public school rosters.

Where did those students go? Many shifted to private and charter schools. Approximately 17,000 moved to home schooling. Still others may not be going to school at all.

Many parents of very young children simply opted to delay the start of kindergarten. That’s the case for as many as 13,000 youngsters.

In a statement, State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice said that 13,000 students are unaccounted for and educators don’t know where they went.

“All children should be connected to a school – public, private, parochial, or homeschool,” he said. He urged local school leaders to attempt to reach out to the students to ensure they are receiving some sort of education.

You can read more on MLive.