COVID-19: DeWitt, St. Johns schools shift to remote learning; East Lansing to learn online into 2021
LANSING – The COVID-19 pandemic is prompting two area school districts to suspend all or some in-person classes, while another district plans to continue virtual learning until at least January.
DeWitt Public Schools notified parents Wednesday it will shift to remote learning in all of its buildings beginning Thursday and continuing until at least Nov. 9.
Schools Superintendent John Deiter said Schavey Road Elementary was closed for in-person classes on Wednesday because of a potential outbreak.
There also were two cases affecting the high school, and officials are concerned about a general rise in cases in the community, which is impacting staff and students, he said.
"Now, we have teachers who have spouses who are in quarantine," he said. "The bottom line is we're not able to properly staff the schools."
Deiter said 13 staff members are out because of COVID-19-related quarantines. That number doesn't include the eight staffers who took leaves of absence before students reported for in-person learning, he said.
At the elementary school, officials learned of a positive test involving a staff member, while a parent reported a positive test for a student, Deiter said. School and health officials are doing contact tracing to determine if the disease has spread to anyone else at the school, he said.
Meanwhile, St. Johns High School and Middle School students are learning remotely after students or staff tested positive, Superintendent Mark Palmer informed parents this week.
Officials moved high school instruction online through at least Friday, he said in a letter to parents on Monday.
In another letter on Wednesday, Palmer said several middle school students tested positive for COVID-19, prompting other students and staffers to be quarantined for two weeks. He said the positives apparently stem from a non-school event last weekend but did not identify the event.
The middle school was closed for in-person learning on Thursday. Officials will update parents once they determine how classes will be held on Monday, the letter said.
East Lansing Public Schools started the school year online, and the district’s Board of Education voted unanimously on Monday to continue virtual learning into January, when board members will determine whether to bring students back to the classroom.
“I look forward to moving back to in-person instruction. I think everyone does,” said Terah Chambers, vice president for the board, "but I just don’t think the health and safety metrics right now support it.”
Moving a possible return to in-person instruction to January gives district leaders time to refine their plans to keep students safe and healthy when they return to their classrooms, she said. It also gives teachers, students and families time to plan for the return.
COVID-19 cases have spiked over the past few weeks in Michigan, including the Lansing area.
The Lansing region, which includes Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham and Shiawassee counties, has been averaging about 80 new cases per day and had a positive test rate of about 4.8%, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
Clinton County had a positive test rate of 6.2% and is averaging about 21 new cases per day, the state said. Ingham County was averaging about 27 new cases per day and had a 4.5% positive test rate.
As of Wednesday, COVID-19 had been a factor in the deaths of 92 people in the tri-county area.
The pandemic also is affecting the DeWitt Township Police Department.
In a Facebook posting Wednesday evening, township officials said the police department is "currently limited in its capacity for service" because of COVID-19.
"Our mutual aid partners will assist the community when needed during this brief period for coverage to maintain our high level of service," they said.
Contact Mark Johnson at 517-377-1026 or at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.