East Lansing among nearly a dozen school districts starting the school year online

LANSING — East Lansing Public Schools will teach students remotely to start the school year, while St. Johns students can opt to return to their classrooms. 

The East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education approved a COVID-19 preparedness and response plan Monday that will have students learning remotely at least through Sept. 30 due to coronavirus concerns. 

Students at St. Johns Public Schools can choose to learn remotely or come back to their schools for in-person instruction under the district's reopening plan approved by the district board of education also on Monday.

St. Johns Public Schools is one of at least three school districts in Greater Lansing that will give families the choice of sending their children back to school. With East Lansing's decision, the region now has at least 11 school districts starting the school year online. 

The Lansing-area is currently in Phase 4 of Gov. GretchenWhitmer's MI Safe Schools plan which allows for in-person instruction. Schools must move all instruction online if the COVID-19 pandemic worsens and Whitmer moves the region to Phase 3. 

About 65% of parents who completed a St. Johns Public Schools survey last month said they would send their children back to school if they had the option, according to Superintendent Mark Palmer. 

"We know that we have a number of families that are not comfortable sending their students back to school yet," he said. "We had a number of factors (that went into this decision) and we certainly looked at what families wanted."

Palmer acknowledged that while the decision gives families what they asked for, it is also leaving some teachers concerned about their health.

The district is looking at options for teachers who fear coming back to a classroom during the pandemic, he said, like approving the existing forms of leave or moving certain class sections completely online.

Some Charlotte Public Schools teachers have their own concerns after the district announced similar plans to offer in-person and remote instruction.

On Monday, teachers and members of Charlotte Education Associates protested the choice to resume some in-person classes in Charlotte. In a statement, the group shared concerns that the school district is not committed to "strongly recommended protocols" included in Phase 4 of the MI Safe Schools plan involving social distancing, mask-wearing at all grade levels, limiting class sizes and limiting large gatherings, like during lunches and recesses. 

"The teachers of Charlotte Public Schools are excited to begin a new school year," according to the statement. "We understand that the best educational experience for students is face to face instruction. We all would like to get back to business as usual.  However, in the midst of a pandemic that just may not be possible."

A school district survey shows 46% of 175 Charlotte staff members who responded said they "did not feel at all or only slightly comfortable coming back to school."  Charlotte Education Associates conducted its own staff survey and found 92% of teachers were not comfortable returning to in-person instruction. 

Despite the ability to resume instruction in classrooms, local school districts opted to start online, including DeWitt Public Schools, Eaton Rapids Public Schools, Grand Ledge Public Schools, Haslett Public Schools, Holt Public Schools, Lansing School District, Mason Public Schools, Okemos Public Schools, Waverly Community Schools and Williamston Community Schools. 

St. Johns Public Schools joined Potterville Public Schools in providing in-person and remote education. 

Contact Mark Johnson at 517-377-1026 or at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.