Two of Michigan’s biggest school districts are taking a post-spring break break from in-person learning.
It’s a precautionary measure that Dearborn Public Schools and the Detroit Public Schools Community District will hope stem the spread of COVID-19, as cases spike again in Michigan. Both districts will temporarily return to virtual learning this week.
Dearborn schools have been operating in hybrid mode since last month, said Superintendent Glenn Maleyko. That means two cohorts of students go to school two days a week, on alternating days. Maleyko said that means individual students will only miss out on a couple days of in-person learning.
“So it’s not really a major change, it’s just kind of a pause,” Maleyko said. “We know and are hearing of a lot of people traveling.”
Maleyko encourages Dearborn families who traveled or gathered with family over spring break to get COVID tests. The district is offering a rapid-testing event at Edsel Ford High School on Monday.
Maleyko said he’s confident the district can continue in hybrid mode after this week. “We have not had any spread in the schools, other than some of our athletic extracurricular teams [that] have had a limited amount,” he said. “But nothing from the in-person learning to this point.”
Detroit schools are also going all-virtual for a week. The district says that’s to give students and staff an extra week of “social isolation” post-spring break. Teachers and staff returning to class will need to receive a negative COVID-19 test.
