The pressure is on for schools to reopen

During a Wednesday press conference, Governor Gretchen Whitmer praised schools that have planned to reopen for in-person classes. The governor, along with the Biden administration, has been pushing for students to return to the classroom as soon as possible.

“[Remote learning is] just not sustainable,” she said. “Parents rely on schools as places for their children to learn while they’re working inside and outside their homes.”

According to Whitmer, 97% of traditional public schools in Michigan have plans to resume some amount of in-person education by March 1.

There are currently five holdouts. Kalamazoo Public Schools, along with districts in Flint, Warren, Southfield, and Harper Woods, do not plan to return to the classroom.

Eight other districts will return to the classroom sometime in March or April.

Whitmer said remote education has led to physical and mental health issues among students while increasing gaps in learning. She has called on schools to reopen while stopping short of making it a requirement.

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