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School this fall will be unlike anything before

While returning to school later this summer still seems like a dream — or a nightmare, depending on your perspective — some light was shed on the issue this week by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Whitmer released a plan she and an advisory committee helped formulate titled “Mi Safe Schools.”

And, just like life in Michigan these days is dictated by what phase of COVID-19 recovery a geographical area is in, so, too, will those phases govern school life.

For instance, which phase a school district is in might mean the difference between students and teachers having to wear masks all day or masks just being recommended, but not mandatory. What grade a student is in also impacts whether a mask is needed or not.

Class size will be an issue, as it is recommended a six-foot spacing between everyone in the classroom is maintained. If that proves impossible, the state recommends a staggered school schedule be considered, having students attend on alternative dates, or offer virtual teaching lessons for students.

While at least the plan gives school administrators a place to begin planning for the new school year, it still leaves unanswered many hard decisions for administrators, teachers, support staff, and parents.

And that is not surprising.

Just this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading White House coronavirus task force spokesman, testified before Congress. Asked about school reopening, he said it would depend on several factors, including in what area of the country the school is located and how the pandemic is tracking at that time.

It appears school district officials should have many scenarios in place, as it looks as if guidelines and regulations could change month to month, if not week to week.

In a national poll done last week of 1,000 adults by Rasmussen Reports, 68% said they believed schools would open again for the fall semester, but one out of three parents said they more than likely would keep their student out of a physical classroom, instead opting for other means of educating the student this year.

That division of thinking makes it hard for educators to know how many students to prepare for, and for parents to know what is best for their children. It also makes things like finding daycare hard for working families who do not know yet for what they should be preparing.

In a news story we ran Wednesday about the governor’s proposal, parents interviewed about their feelings toward school next year expressed the frustration of balancing safety versus the social and emotional attributes schools help students develop.

Whitmer is hopeful the blueprint provided this week will be a good starting point to get planning going.

“I am optimistic that we will return to in-person learning in the fall,” she said.

I hope that is true, as well.

One thing I think we all can agree on: School this year will be like nothing we’ve ever seen before.

Bill Speer can be reached at 989-354-3111, ext. 311, or bspeer@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @billspeer13.

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