Michigan K-12 schools

The number of K-12 schools with coronavirus outbreaks jumped from 28 to 46 schools in just a week. And there are now over 3,800 confirmed cases at colleges and universities across Michigan, numbers that are likely an undercount.

Pressure mounted for more than a month on the administration to require more immediate public notifications of coronavirus outbreaks at Michigan schools as students returned for the fall term.

Many businesses set to reopen on Oct. 9 — like event venues and bowling alleys — have been closed in much of the state since mid-March.

Hours after a committee hearing in which health officials said they can’t report school outbreaks more than once a week, Michigan’s public health director told Bridge Michigan the Whitmer administration may order schools to publicly reveal outbreaks as they are confirmed.

The coronavirus child care crunch is falling hardest on low-income families of color, many of whom work in-person jobs in sanitation, grocery, and health care that the state has defined as “essential.” When these families have young students learning online, many parents find that they have no safe place to send their children during the work day.

Once-weekly reporting of coronavirus outbreaks in schools is the most local public health workers can handle, state health officials argued Wednesday.

No doubt, the coronavirus is dangerous, but so is social isolation, writes a superintendent, whose district had the first student in northern Michigan test positive for COVID-19.

There is a surge in cases in K-12 schools and on college campuses, but, so far, there’s no sign of increased hospitalizations.

A group of more than 30 news outlets and transparency groups wrote to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday, asking her to require schools to report COVID-19 outbreaks faster. The information comes as cases soar among some colleges and schools.

This is the time to commit to a fairer funding system that moves Michigan from its position as one of the least fair states for educational opportunity.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration and Republican legislative leaders said Monday they've agreed to a framework for the 2021 budget that will protect funding for K-12 schools and local governments despite revenue declines amid COVID-19.

For every student that tested positive, there were dozens of friends or classmates found to be in close contact with them, sidelining them from the classroom as well.

The public can now see what K-12 schools and colleges in the state have coronavirus outbreaks, thanks to new state reporting championed by Bridge Michigan and other media outlets. There are now more than 1,300 college cases.

It’s not too late for lawmakers to fix the budget to give students the best possible outcome during a school year otherwise full of uncertainties, a group of Michigan superintendents suggests.

An 11th-grader in Beaverton in central Michigan returns to school. Mask compliance is shaky. Emotions are raw. And students and teachers are doing their best to cope with a bizarre new reality.

Michigan will begin listing schools with outbreaks Monday, but disclosure is bogged down by testing delays and reporting lag times. Some fear the information will be so dated, it could be of little use to parents.

Michigan school leaders asked for a waiver from federal requirements for such tests because of the pandemic. DeVos said no, arguing that the pandemic makes it even more critical to measure and compare school performance.

The state’s announcement follows weeks of pressure as many parents must decide whether to send their children to school or have them learn from home. State officials did not include colleges in its decision.

A statewide group of news and government transparency groups is pushing the Whitmer administration to timely name schools and colleges in Michigan with coronavirus outbreaks as families decide whether to send children to classrooms.

There are now 14 new or ongoing coronavirus outbreaks in Michigan K-12 schools and colleges. Where are they? How many cases? The state still won’t provide that information.