With the Democratic Whitmer administration pushing for a March 1 reopening date for public schools, teachers and students face not only the danger of the coronavirus, but lead and legionella bacteria from unflushed water systems.
I want to express my gratitude to the BPS community for its support during a challenging time for me and my family. I have been doing well and will make a full recovery, however a return in the immediate future will not be possible, the statement read. As I focus on my continued health as well as the immediate needs within BPS, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my position effective Feb. 23, 2021. This decision will allow BPS to begin the task of finding the next superintendent as soon as possible who can provide focused leadership and prepare for the summer, upcoming school year and beyond. I am grateful to the Board of Education for its support, as well as the numerous new friends I gained in the BPS community.
Birmingham school board resolution calls for in-person public meetings
If students are back in the school buildings, the school board should be back in the school buildings.
That s the intent behind a resolution coming before the Birmingham Public Schools board of education later this month. The resolution, discussed during a Feb. 9 study meeting of the board, asks for the state to allow for the board of education to meet in person since students are expected to return to full-time in-person school.
The argument for such a resolution, board Treasurer Amy Hochkammer said, is to set an example by bringing the board of education back to meeting in the schools at the same time students are back.
Schools round up, catch up and ramp up for fall enrollment
METRO DETROIT Along with proms and graduation ceremonies, another time-honored school tradition will likely be muddled by COVID-19.
The very first tradition, in fact: kindergarten roundup.
If it’s been some time since you’ve attended or accompanied your little one to their roundup event, it’s a night typically held in the spring at elementary schools to help families learn what they can expect for their first-time student in the coming school year.
Kiddos get the chance to tour classrooms and meet their soon-to-be teachers, so their first day of school in the fall won’t be quite so unfamiliar and fretful.
The district plans to welcome students from kindergarten through eighth grade back to school beginning Monday. High school students will return to school beginning Jan. 19. Students will return in a hybrid model, with younger students attending school in-person for half-days five days a week, while high school students would be in-person two full days a week.
Some buildings and rooms did not have the capacity for the MERV 13 filters, Larson-Shidler said. Some frames at Groves and Seaholm high schools would not fit the filters, so instead, the district installed ultraviolet lights instead, which are designed to kill viruses such as the one that causes COVID-19.