Education

Snow days may no longer be needed for school districts across Michigan as many students are learning online amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Many people wonder if virtual instruction will take the place of snow days since schools are already offering classes online, MLive.com reported.

Eastern Michigan University will test campus wastewater for the COVID-19 virus and other signs of infectious diseases. The testing is part of the school's return-to-campus plan. It's intended to track the presence of the coronavirus in wastewater flowing from residence halls and apartment complexes. The monitoring process may provide early detection of asymptomatic cases of the virus, according to the school. EMU in Ypsilanti is working with Michigan-based Aquasight on the testing.

Ingham County health officials have identified 11 more large houses near Michigan State University's campus where there are known exposures to the COVID-19 virus. The health department has ordered residents in those houses to quarantine for the next two weeks. Mandatory quarantines now have been ordered for 25 fraternity and sorority houses and 14 large rental houses in East Lansing. On Saturday, the health department said at least a third of the 342 people affiliated with the university testing positive for the virus since Aug. 24 attended parties or social gatherings.

The governing board at the University of Michigan is expressing support for President Mark Schlissel, two days after he said trust in his leadership has slipped on campus. Denise Ilitch, chairwoman of the Board of Regents, says the board supports Schlissel and his administration during a time of "tremendous challenges." Schlissel has been criticized for the university's response to the coronavirus. Separately, the school sued to try to stop a strike by graduate-student instructors. A vote by faculty also revealed disappointment with Schlissel.

Graduate students who teach at the University of Michigan have returned to classes after voting to end a strike. The Graduate Employees' Organization represents about 2,000 students who teach or assist classes. The union says it achieved "critical progress" on child care options during the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19 testing protocols and concerns about campus police operations. The deal ends legal action by the university, which sued this week to try to end the strike. The university says the strike disrupted many online undergraduate classes taught by graduate students.

The University of Michigan is suing to stop a strike by graduate-student instructors after they voted to extend their walkout.

“Going to the court was our only choice after learning the strike would continue. We’d much rather our classes be in session while we work out our differences,” President Mark Schlissel said.

A county

A county on Monday ordered a two-week quarantine for 23 fraternities and sororities and seven large rental houses near Michigan State University following a coronavirus outbreak that a local health official said was turning into a “crisis.”

The quarantine, which is mandatory, means students or others living in the buildings cannot leave except for medical care or necessities that cannot be delivered. The houses have known cases or exposure to COVID-19.

Michigan State University trustees have changed the name of a campus building after determining that a man with a long record of public service was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. Stephen S. Nisbet's grandson objected Friday. He claims it's not his grandfather's signature on a klan membership card discovered in a library. The klan was a secretive society organized to assert white supremacy. A Michigan State University building was named in 1974 for Nisbet, who was a member of the school's governing board in the 1960s. He worked in education and business. Nisbet died in 1986.

Michigan State University mostly found no violations of campus policy in a review of roughly 20 former or current staff members who were said to have received complaints about Larry Nassar, the doctor convicted of molesting female athletes, according to a report Tuesday.

The report is part of a 2019 agreement with the U.S. Education Department, which included a $4.5 million fine and MSU’s pledge to greatly change how it responds to sexual harassment and assault.

The Detroit school district reached a deal to open buildings on Sept. 8. In-person instruction will be capped at 20 students per classroom. Teachers can get extra pay, and kids and staff will have their temperature checked each day. The deal came a week after members of the Detroit Federation of Teachers authorized a strike over coronavirus safety. The Detroit Public Schools Community District is the largest in Michigan with roughly 50,000 students. Despite the agreement with the union, some teachers don't want to return to face-to-face instruction.