UP Gazette

A state senator hailed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order to close public and private schools statewide for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year, in light of the COVID-19 crisis, as "the right decision.”

Executive Order 2020-35, which the governor issued on Apr. 2, allows schools to transition to distance learning, instead of missing three months’ worth of face-to-face classroom instruction. Sen. Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) praised Whitmer for prioritizing students’ health and safety.

“While we all would have preferred this wasn’t the case, it was the correct decision and was made in the best interests of our students’ health and safety,” Schmidt wrote on the MiSenateGOP website.

In addition to allowing distance learning, the order will waive requirements applicable to state assessments, accountability, teacher evaluations and the third-grade reading law for the current school year, as well as suspending attendance requirements tied to school funding.

“Going forward, every district’s plan will be different and will reflect what’s best and feasible for the needs of students in their community,” Schmidt said on MiSenateGOP. “A plan can include learning by any number of modes of instruction delivery, including a hybrid approach. Districts must ensure their plans are appropriate and accessible for all students and families to participate in. If a plan relies on online instruction, districts must work to ensure every student who needs it has access to the Internet.”

The lawmaker assured parents and students that they would not be penalized if they are unable to participate in the alternate learning plan, and he commended teachers and parents for their efforts to continue the learning process in unprecedented times.

“Many teachers and parents have gone above and beyond during this difficult time and have been doing outstanding work to ensure their students and children have been keeping up since their schools were closed,” the senator said in his statement. “I fully recognize the hard work and inventive efforts of our teachers and call on them to keep up the phenomenal work."