Grand Ledge schools will move all instruction online this fall

LANSING — Grand Ledge Public Schools has put off plans for in-person instruction, opting instead for online instruction for the first few months of the year, and Eaton Rapids Public Schools could follow suit.

Both school districts first planned to let families decide whether their children would learn in a classroom with COVID-19 precautions in place or remotely this fall.

Grand Ledge school administrators doubted whether they could meet state standards for bringing students back during the pandemic, and the board voted Monday to move all instruction online at least for the first trimester, which runs through Dec. 4.

“We just didn’t feel like we could look our community in the eye and say we could follow all the requirements that need to be followed to keep our kids safe,” said Bill Barnes, Grand Ledge assistant superintendent of academic services.

Eaton Rapids Superintendent Bill DeFrance will bring a similar recommendation to his Board of Education at their meeting Wednesday, asking them to consider going forward with only online offerings to start the school year so families can start planning their schedules.

“I am going to try to engage them in a discussion (Wednesday) night to land the plane and say that we’re going to remote,” DeFrance said.

The remote learning recommendation he’ll ask board members to consider comes after considering three primary concerns: that the schools can’t guarantee proper social distancing or mask-wearing by everyone and he fears the district won’t have time to put adequate COVID-19 screening measures in place before school starts up again.

It took hours of conversation between board members and the school district community who attended Monday’s meeting before the Grand Ledge Public Schools Board of Education made their decision. Parents brought their own concerns to the meeting, Barnes said, but a common theme involved finding ways to help families with working parents.

“No. 1, we’re taking it seriously. No. 2, we started working on it first thing this morning,” he said. “I don’t want to say we’re going to be able to solve the problem for everyone, but we’re actively working to solve that issue for as many families as we can.”

Working parents in several local school districts that are planning for remote learning in the fall have similar concerns.

Lansing School District Board of Education Trustee Farhan Bhatti suggested school computer labs or working with community centers to secure safe spaces for students where they could go to class online during the day. DeFrance said his school district would consider similar options.

The Haslett Public Schools Board of Education on Monday also voted to offer online-only instruction to start the coming school year. Superintendent Steve Cook said the district will reconsider the decision no later than the Oct. 16 Board of Education meeting.

Haslett and Grand Ledge join Lansing, Holt Public Schools, Okemos Public Schools, Waverly Community Schools and Williamston Community Schools in starting the school year online.

Mason Public Schools will start the school year online. School board members are expected to review a proposed in-person instruction plan on Sept. 14.

Charlotte Public Schools plans to allow students to pick between in-person and remote learning. Superintendent Mandy Stewart said the decision was made based on feedback from parents. A survey effort shows that of the 1,318 responses filled out by parents, 35% “felt very, extremely comfortable sending kids back to school,” while 20% “felt somewhat comfortable sending their students back to school.” The remaining 45% “did not feel at all or only slightly comfortable coming to school.”

There are no current plans to follow other local school districts and move completely online this fall, Stewart said. Rather, school district leaders will continue monitoring data and take suggestions from local health department and state officials.

Potterville Public Schools is also planning to offer students the choice of online or in-person classes. 

The Lansing area is under Phase 4 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Safe Schools plan. It allows schools to host in-person classes with required safety precautions, such as face masks and social distancing in place, but schools must close and revert to only online instruction if the pandemic worsens and Whitmer drops the region to Phase 3 or lower.

Contact Mark Johnson at 517-377-1026 or at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.