(WXYZ) — The Howell Public School District has the green light to bring kids back to the classroom full-time as long as the county stays in phase 4 of the governor's MI Safe Start Plan.
7 Action News reporter Alan Campbell spoke with the health director with the Livingston and Washtenaw county health departments about the plan to reopen schools and the risk involved.
It seems like more and more schools are planning to have kids back in the fall. But with COVID-19 hotspots being reported in Livingston County among teens, the Howell School District says they have a safe plan to bring kids back to the classroom.
The Howell Public School District is on the growing list of school districts that say they will have in-person instruction for the school year.
The school board approved the district's plan to safely bring students, teachers and staff back.
The health director for Livingston and Washtenaw counties says he’s reviewed reopening plans and says they’re all very fluid, especially when deciding how to social distance the kids.
"Is it possible to keep children in a pod to kind of keep the same group together? So I would say the plans that are presented are sort of fluid and a work in progress," said Dr. Juan Luis Marquez, medical director for Livingston and Washtenaw county health departments.
Recent hotspots of COVID-19 include Oakland, Genesee and Livingston counties, with a rise in cases in South Lyon and Fenton. The rise is in 15 to19 year olds, who reported going to large outdoor and indoor gatherings. A mother of two said off camera she doesn’t feel comfortable sending her children back to the classroom. Other parents say kids need to get back to learning in schools.
Like many other districts, the Howell school district is also offering virtual learning. But again a lot of these plans are fluid and can change just like COVID-19.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.