News Photo by Meakalia Previch-Liu Janice Hiatt, an Alpena Public Schools bus driver, and Janice Wawro, a member of APS security staff, hand out food to a parent on Monday at Alpena High School. APS will continue to distribute packaged meals to families as schools are closed by the coronavirus.

ALPENA — Northeast Michigan students now have the chance to get back into an educational routine following approval of area schools’ plans for teaching kids though school buildings are closed by the coronavirus.

The Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Educational Service District and Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle Educational Service District approved local districts’ plans in recent days.

The learning plans will go into effect, if not already, on Tuesday. Districts will now deliver course work via mail, email, or through a website, or set up times and places for students to pick up homework.

Most Northeast Michigan school districts plan to provide kids Chromebook laptops and access to WiFi so they can complete online assignments, according to districts’ plans posted online. Onaway and Rogers City school districts did not specifically mention in their plans whether internet access would be an option for students.

Matt Poli, director of innovative programs and Marshall Plan initiatives at Alpena Public Schools, said about 600 Chromebooks have been distributed thus far.

APS officials will ask businesses in the coming weeks if they are willing to open up their WiFi to help students who need internet access. Poli said they are developing a hotline for parents to contact if maintenance is needed on Chromebooks and is exploring whether school buses could be used to provide WiFi hotspots throughout the district.

Schools will grade students based on participation in the continuing education courses through the end of the academic year, according to the plans. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said students should be allowed to advance to the next grade or graduate if they were on track to do so when she announced the school closures last month.

All school districts will monitor class participation by reaching out to families and calling the students multiple times a week.

Meaghan Gauthier, APS’s assistant superintendent of K-12 curriculum, told the APS Board of Education on Monday the district aims to maintain all aspects of the classroom, though students can’t be there.

Gauthier added that students at APS can jump back into the curriculum if they fall behind, however they might not be able to finish the course if they do. She said teachers have been trying their best to reach families to find out whether kids will go with online or paper-and-pencil work.

“There are some phone numbers that have been disconnected, and a number of families have a voicemail that’s full,” Gauthier told the school board. “We will continue to try and we will document our efforts.”

Meanwhile, APS Superintendent John VanWagoner said APS has given out over 100,000 meals since schools closed last month.

“We have an unbelievable machine made up of all our employees,” he said. “Our first week of food distribution was just unbelievable to figure out, but everybody made it work without a hitch. No matter what job it is in the district, I am thankful for everyone that’s been a part of it.”

Meakalia Previch-Liu can be reached at 989-358-5680 or mprevich-liu@thealpenanews.com.