The "Return to Learn" plan allows districts to choose if and how students return to school in the fall. | Pixabay
The "Return to Learn" plan allows districts to choose if and how students return to school in the fall. | Pixabay
State Rep. Greg VanWoerkom (R-Norton Shores) is lending his support to a bipartisan plan that would aid the safe return of Michigan students to the classroom.
VanWoerkom said that the plan will give school districts the autonomy to decide what the best course of action is — online, in-person or hybrid learning — which will be decided with aid from local health departments.
“As parents, teachers, school leaders and a community, we owe it to our children that they remain healthy and safe while they progress academically through this public health crisis,” VanWoerkom said on Michigan House Republicans. “Rather than a one-size-fits-all mandate, the Legislature worked with the governor to reach a consensus on a plan that provides every school district with the flexibility it needs to ensure classroom instruction resumes in the fall, be it online or in person.”
Rep. Greg VanWoerkom
| Michigan House Republicans
The plan will ensure that parents are kept in the loop and given opportunities to voice their anxieties about this topic.
School boards will also have to reinvestigate their delivery method for students over the 2020-2021 academic year, while local benchmark assessments will give parents and teachers the information needed to understand where students need help maintaining progress.
In-person instruction will be encouraged in situations where it is deemed safe, but it is not required for students in grades K-5.
Throughout Michigan, an additional $583 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund will be issued to schools. This will be broken down into $350 per student for additional resource needs, over $50 million in hazard pay for teachers and $18 million for safety measures and benchmark assessments.
“The bipartisan plan calls for school districts to work with area health departments to develop plans that will maximize student learning in a manner that is safe for students and faculty,” VanWoerkom said, according to Michigan House Republicans.
The "Return to Learn" plan awaits the governor’s approval.
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