Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she’s aware parents, students, and teachers are anxious for details on back-to-school plans. She says there’s still too much uncertainty about how the spread of COVID-19 might affect those plans.
Whitmer said the plans will depend on the numbers of new cases and deaths, and patterns of how the infection is spreading.
The governor also said she’s opposed to tying federal funds for schools to whether or not they resume in-classroom learning. She said it is still too early to make final decisions on sending students back into classrooms.
“We’ve got 800 districts in the state of Michigan in various regions that have different experiences with COVID-19.”
Whitmer called for Congress to reach a deal on another COVID relief bill to help states like Michigan, which faces a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit. She said otherwise schools, health care, and other human services face drastic cuts at a time when they’re urgently needed.