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GRPS: Students To Social Distance For Locker Clean Out

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Students in the Grand Rapids Public Schools District are heading back to school.  But not for classes.  The district is asking students to return to clean out lockers that remain full since COIVD-19 disrupted classes back in March. 

The students return to school will look a lot different than when they left.

Grand Rapids Public Schools will allow students and family members to come back to school for locker clean out days.  It’s for all students, K-12.  Personal belongings, books and other items have remained at the schools since the mandated closings due to the coronavirus.  The locker clean-out days are June 8th through the 11th.  A letter to families from interim Superintendent Ronald Gorman lists dates and times for each grade.  Schools officials say the sole purpose is for students to collect their things, not to socialize. John Helmholdt, GRPS Executive Director of Communications and External Affairs say there will be strict guidelines for those who come. 

“It’s staggered by grade, so we’re trying to limit that access.  Individuals are required to wear masks, and we’re just keeping it real with our families. This is not a time to congregate it’s about getting your stuff and getting out as safe as possible.”

Helmholdt says students can keep technology devices like ipads and laptops, in fact, district officials encourage their use for summer learning programs.

“We have our grasp program, which is a summer math and reading program, that available at grps.org/grasp. There’s also our online resources that are still on the district website.”

Helmholdt says there will also be a county learning program. As to what school will look like come fall, he says they’ll be following state and federal guidelines.  Adding it will likely include a hybrid structure, including some in school and distance learning combinations.

Jennifer is an award winning broadcast news journalist with more than two decades of professional television news experience including the nation's fifth largest news market. She's worked as both news reporter and news anchor for television and radio in markets from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo all the way to San Francisco, California.