COVID and Schools

Lunch woes? Staff shortages? Quarantines? Tell us how Michigan’s school year is going.

By 
Koby Levin
and
Caroline Bauman
 | October 29, 2021, 4:51pm UTC
This Chalkbeat callout shows children eating lunch at a long table in Detroit.
Most Michigan students are back to learning in-person, a welcome change after a year in virtual school. But COVID remains a major obstacle to education. As we continue to cover this challenging, hopeful year, we’re asking parents to guide us. (Anthony Lanzilote for Chalkbeat)

When Michigan schools reopened this fall, the new semester was hailed as an opportunity for academic and social recovery after a COVID-scrambled school year.

So far, the results have been mixed.

Most students are back to learning in person, a welcome change after a challenging year in virtual school. But COVID remains a major obstacle to education.

Just ask the students in lengthy quarantines, parents concerned about shortages of special education aides and security guards, and families that had to scramble after their child’s school was closed due to a COVID outbreak.

As we continue to cover this challenging, hopeful year, we’re asking parents to guide us.

Please tell us about your concerns and priorities by filling out the survey below. If you have trouble viewing the survey, go here.

The Latest
The uproar over Trump’s immigration enforcement is pushing more education groups to speak out

Critics of aggressive immigration enforcement tactics say they’re profoundly damaging students’ ability to learn and feel safe, and they're calling on Congress to act.

By 
Erica Meltzer
 | January 28
As more states opt into the federal school choice tax credit, most Democratic governors hold back

So far, 23 states have opted into the new tax credit included in the One Big Beautiful Bill, but there’s still uncertainty about how exactly it will work.

By 
Lily Altavena
 | January 28
Eric Dinowitz is City Council’s new education chair. Here’s what he wants to prioritize.

Dinowitz’s first oversight hearing will focus on mayoral control of NYC schools, which Zohran Mamdani criticized during the campaign but recently embraced.

By 
Alex Zimmerman
 | January 28
Chicago school board accepting new round of applications for Black Student Achievement Committee

The board will reopen applications from Feb. 2-9. The committee is charged with helping CPS implement its Black Student Success Plan, which is meant to boost academics and improve school climates for Black students.

By 
Reema Amin
 | January 28
ICE detains multiple parents near Ypsilanti school campus and bus stop

A letter shared with the Ypsilanti school community didn’t indicate whether any children were detained.

By 
Katherine Dailey, Michigan Advance
 | January 28
‘I can’t imagine losing Conwell’: Kensington parents worry about proposed Philly school closures

The district’s proposal to close 20 schools has drawn opposition from City Council members, parents, alumni, and educators, who see the schools as integral resource hubs and safe spaces in their communities.

By 
Emily Rizzo, Kensington Voice
 | January 28