Here are the stated school reopening plans for several public school districts in Southeast Michigan. These plans are subject to change.
At press time, the Michigan State Legislature had been scheduled to vote Saturday, Aug. 15 on a new set of guidelines for reopening schools. Please continue to check thejewishnews.com for the latest info.
Virtual Starts
Students in the following districts will have their first day of class online.
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor Public Schools has announced the upcoming school year will start online, with the first day of school starting Sept. 8. It is offering three options. Students can receive remote instruction from district teachers until the district deems it is safe to return to school buildings for in-person instruction; receive remote instruction from district teachers for the whole school year; or learn online at their own pace while receiving feedback from district teachers.
Berkley
All students in the Berkley School District will begin the 2020-21 year in remote instruction and continue online through at least Oct. 30. Once it has been determined safe to return to the classroom, the district will survey families to see if a continued virtual option is needed. The district has invested in Schoology, an online Learning Management System that teaches can use for live instruction, to post assignments, assign grades and communicate with students.
Birmingham
Birmingham Public Schools will be starting the school year virtually, with a plan to revisit options in November 2020.
Bloomfield Hills
The school board voted to start the school year remotely, according to Bloomfield Hills Schools Superintendent Pat Watson. “The board’s decision, while unanticipated, provides the opportunity to further develop our in-person return to school plans in a manner that is as safe as possible for all stakeholders,” he wrote on Facebook. An online town hall was planned for parents to ask questions.
Farmington Hills
The Board of Education voted 5-2 to start the 2020-2021 school year remotely for all K-12 students. Learning at a Distance (fully remote) will be in place for all students K-12 at least through Oct. 30. Planning will continue to take place to phase-in face-to-face instruction for certain populations after Oct. 30, as appropriate.
Oak Park
Oak Park Board of Education unanimously approved a Return-to-School virtual plan for all students through first card marking (Oct. 30). Leading up to Oct. 30, the board will continue to actively monitor and consult public health officials.
Southfield
Plans are in place to offer remote learning at the start of the school year, similar to the final few months of the previous school year. Students will receive rigorous online instruction and support. Accountability measures for attendance, grades and assessments apply.
Walled Lake
The Walled Lake Schools board decided at its Aug. 3 meeting to offer two options for virtual learning: Our Path, which follows a school-ay schedule with a teacher providing daily instruction, and My Path, a completely virtual online K-12 curriculum. My Path is offered through Edgenuity, which allows students to work at their own pace and on their own schedule with an assigned Walled Lake teacher to act as their mentor.
Blended Models
Students in these districts will have a mix of in-person and online learning.
Ferndale
The Ferndale Public Schools Board of Education approved the district’s Return to Learning Plan at its Aug. 6 meeting. While the plan is primarily virtual, there will be limited opportunities for students to attend in-person Learning Support Labs or pop-up instructional events.
Huron Valley School District
The Huron Valley School Board has chosen a hybrid plan in which families who want face-to-face instruction for their students will be able to have it two days per week while the state is in Phase 4 of the coronavirus pandemic. Junior kindergarten through seventh grades start this plan immediately, while eighth-12th grades will learn remotely for the first two weeks of school before starting in-person instruction two days per week.
Novi
Plans were put in place to offer in-person instruction, a hybrid blend of in-person and virtual, as well as virtual online instruction. Parents had a chance to decide which mode of instruction they wanted for their students.
West Bloomfield
According to a plan approved by the West Bloomfield Board of Education, students in kindergarten through eighth grade will have in-person school with half attending four mornings with remote learning in the afternoon and half remote learning in the morning and attending four afternoons. All students will have remote instruction on Wednesdays to allow for deep cleaning and sanitizing of schools. West Bloomfield is offering an online-only instructional program for families who don’t want any in-person schooling. West Bloomfield High School students will begin the new school year remotely.