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Gov. Whitmer Unveils School Restart Plan For Fall Semester

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For weeks Governor Gretchen Whitmer planned on having the entire state in Phase 5 of her MI Safe Start plan by this weekend. That’s not going to happen.

In fact, due to minor outbreaks in the Grand Rapids and Lansing regions, those two are being moved to a more high risk designation, but no regions are moving up or down the restart plan.

“When Michigan was the green beacon in the sea of red across the country, my hope was that we would be in the Phase 5 by the 4th of July and that’s not going to happen,” says Gov. Whitmer.

The reopening is going to take a little longer but the expectation is it will be advanced enough to get kids back in classrooms come the Fall semester. Tuesday, she unveiled her school restart plan.

“We know these kids come from home and congregate at school and then go back home,” says Whitmer, “It’s going to be really important for children of a certain age, that we create an expectation.”

Kids will wear masks, they will practice social distancing and classrooms will look different but the hope is to avoid sustained spikes. Keeping any that do appear isolated and controlled as we head towards a vaccine.

“That’s precisely what it would take us back to a Phase 3, it’s not something I’m announcing, it’s not necessarily a conversation were having right now,” says Whitmer.

One conversation she is having is with the MHSAA, she is requesting any fall sports, like football, that can’t be done with effective social distancing, to be moved to the spring. And more individual sports, like tennis and track and field, be moved to the spring.

The MHSAA says they will have a response for her by the end of July.

The full MI Safe Schools roadmap and plan can be found

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