The governor signed an executive order Thursday ordering all K-12 schools closed for the remainder of the school year, which typically ends in June. The Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators and the Michigan Council of Charter School Authorizers are developing resources for teachers to offer online learning.
“My number one priority right now is protecting Michigan families from the spread of COVID-19,” Whitmer said in a Thursday release. “For the sake of our students, their families, and the more than 100,000 teachers and staff in our state, I have made the difficult decision to close our school facilities for the remainder of the school year.”
The governor said it’s unsafe for students to return to classrooms while the number of COVID-19 cases found each day sharply rises. The infectious respiratory disease, believed to spread quickly between people in close proximity, has killed 337 people and infected 9,334 as of Wednesday.
“Given (the) virus’s aggressively persistent spread and potentially fatal consequences, in-person instruction in our schools is too dangerous to resume in the near future, and very likely for the remainder of the 2019- 2020 school year,” Whitmer’s order states.
Whitmer’s order applies to all public, private and boarding school buildings in Michigan. It leaves open the possibility of classes resuming if restrictions on public gatherings are lifted before the end of the academic year.
School districts across the state are ordered to implement a process to allow high school seniors to graduate and move younger students on to the next grade.
Students will be awarded credit and grades for courses taken based on coursework through March 11. Districts can require graduating seniors to take an optional final exam or other activities to test their understanding of course material or allow seniors to graduate by proving their competency in other ways.
Districts must provide high school seniors who were failing a course as of March 11, an opportunity to receive credit for the course, as determined by the district.
All public universities have canceled or suspended in-person classes.
READ MORE: How to find free lunch for Michigan kids with schools shut down
Students who rely on schools to provide meals have still been able to pick up lunches while classrooms are closed. Schools across the state are providing food to students at designated pickup locations or school bus stops.
The governor ordered all school buildings closed from March 16 through April 5 as part of statewide efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus. That was changed to April 14 when Whitmer issued a sweeping executive order to close businesses and require people to stay in their homes.
The governor indicated in interviews during the last week that she had been having conversations about closing classrooms for the year.
Michigan’s COVID-19 cases are all but assured to reach 10,000 when the state releases its daily totals Thursday afternoon. The first case was found on March 10.
“In the three weeks that followed, the virus spread across Michigan, bringing deaths in the hundreds, confirmed cases in the thousands, and deep disruption to this state’s economy, homes, and educational, civic, social, and religious institutions,” Whitmer’s order reads.
Only 1% of Michigan’s confirmed COVID-19 cases are residents under 19 years old, according to the state.
Sixty-seven of Michigan’s 83 counties are home to confirmed coronavirus cases. Mackinac County joined the list Wednesday with its first confirmed case.
Nearly half of all cases are in Wayne County. More than a quarter of Michigan’s COVID-19 cases were found in Detroit.
The majority of cases remain in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Michigan’s three most populated counties accounted for 80% of the cases and almost 88% of the state’s deaths from COVID-19. The trio of counties are home to 39% of Michigan residents.
There have been more than 186,000 cases of the coronavirus and more than 3,600 deaths in the United States. Michigan ranks third in the country for the most COVID-19 cases discovered, behind New York and New Jersey and trending close to California.
Public health officials believe the number of cases confirmed so far represents a fraction of the total number of people who are infected. More cases are found as testing becomes more available.
Read all of MLive’s coverage on the coronavirus at mlive.com/coronavirus.
Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS
In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus. Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible. Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home ( door handles, faucets, countertops ) and when you go into places like stores.
