In a rare Saturday session, the Michigan Senate has today approved the state’s Return to Learn plan designed to help get students safely back to school this fall and ensure they receive a quality education no matter the mode of instruction.
State Senator Kim LaSata from Bainbridge Township says, “Schools and families in every Southwest Michigan community have been weighing the best way to educate our children during the COVID-19 pandemic,” and adds, “As a mother and a former teacher, I want what’s best for our students. This plan achieves that by keeping kids safe and continuing to advance their education — whether it’s in person, online, or a hybrid approach.”
Under the Return to Learn plan, school districts must consult with county health departments to develop health and safety guidelines on methods for delivering instruction that are based on local data. School boards will also be required to reexamine and re-certify how they are delivering instruction to students at their monthly board meetings for the duration of the 2020-21 school year. During the board meetings, parents will have the opportunity to voice their concerns and communicate needed adaptations.
LaSata says benchmark testing is required to be conducted in the classroom, online or at home under the plan. Test results will be shared with parents, so they understand their child’s learning needs, and they will be used by each school district to establish academic goals. The bills also require regular two-way interaction between students and teachers to ensure students enrolled in distance learning options receive the benefit of personal attention.
Regarding the plan, LaSata says today, “I am pleased the Legislature and governor were able to come together in bipartisan fashion to approve a plan that gives local leaders the flexibility to make the best decisions for students and families, so our children can learn safely during these unprecedented times,” and concludes, “I look forward to the governor signing the plan into law soon.”
The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives, where it is expected to receive final approval and be sent to the governor for her signature.
The governor should be well-read on the matter, since she joined Legislative leaders late Friday in singing the praises of the bipartisan deal struck just ahead of the new school year.
Friday evening the governor joined Senator’s Mike Shirkey and Jim Ananich as well as State Representatives Lee Chatfield and Christine Greig in issuing the following joint statement after they all reached agreement regarding the upcoming 2020-2021 school year:
“Today, we reached a bipartisan deal that will give students, parents, educators, and support staff much needed support, flexibility, and certainty as we approach the new school year. They deserve peace of mind about what the next few months will hold in store, and this legislation will provide it.”
Also jumping on board is the group Launch Michigan, whose officials have commended the Governor and the Legislature for their COVID-19 School Restart agreement.
Launch Michigan President Adam Zemke has issued the following statement regarding the agreement guiding local K–12 school districts as they begin to resume operations in the fall:
“The bipartisan compromise negotiated by Governor Whitmer and legislative leaders to help reopen Michigan’s public schools safely is fair, reasonable and provides much-needed clarity for educators and families alike.
“Launch Michigan remains focused on mitigating the learning losses our children are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we recognize that stability about some immediate items is necessary. We applaud Governor Whitmer, Republicans and Democrats for coming together today to provide a smarter path forward for Michigan’s public schools. We look forward to continued work with educators and stakeholders during the budget process, as we seek to provide robust, fair funding for quality public educational opportunities for all Michigan children.”
Amber Arellano, Executive Director, The Education Trust-Midwest, joined the applause, issuing the following statement:
“We applaud Governor Whitmer and Michigan’s legislative leadership for their work on a bipartisan package that includes a commitment to quality education data and transparency.
As an organization committed to ensuring all Michigan students have the opportunity to learn at high levels, we are particularly heartened to see the inclusion of benchmark assessments that are aligned with high standards for teaching and learning. These assessments will provide parents and educators with critical information on how students are progressing and how they need to be supported at this historic moment of COVID-19, regardless of whether learning takes place in person, virtually or through a hybrid model.
Measuring student learning will be particularly important to inform how to address the unfinished learning that followed the necessary but abrupt school closures in the spring, which disproportionately impacted our state’s most vulnerable students and their families.
Given the financial challenges many districts are facing, we especially applaud efforts to ensure that rigorous, standards-aligned benchmark assessments are made available at the State’s expense to every district in the state.
We hope that the same bipartisan spirit can be brought to the table in the coming weeks as difficult, but more equitable decisions about the state education budget are considered.”
