Parents can choose -- Detroit Public Schools reveals official back-to-school plan

District's plan provides parents a choice

DETROIT – It’s a decision that weighs heavily on parents -- should they send their children back to school for the 2020-21 school year to learn or keep them at home?

The Detroit Public Schools Community District held a press conference Friday morning to officially unveil its back-to-school plans. The district’s goal is to give parents a chance to decide what works best for their families.

RELATED: Here’s what Michigan school districts have planned for the fall amid the pandemic

The district has been very clear that it has wanted parents to have a choice between face-to-face or remote learning. The approved plan includes the choices of in-person or online learning, smaller in-person class sizes and daily safety protocols like cleaning, masks and social distancing.

The plan is contingent on additional guidance from federal and state government on the reopening of schools and the district said it would switch to full online learning if Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and health experts believed it would be unsafe.

To ensure the safety of students, staff and family members, DPSCD is training staff on safety precautions and testing them regularly for COVID-19. Temperature checks will be done daily for all students and staff. Additionally, movement within school buildings will be limited to prevent potential spread.

The next DPSCD online town hall meeting on the reopening plan will be Aug. 3 at 10 a.m.

Future DPSCD Reopening Plan town hall meetings will be held on the following dates and times:

  • Aug. 5, 4 p.m.
  • Aug. 7, 10 a.m.
  • Aug. 10, noon
  • Aug. 11, 6 p.m.
  • Aug 12, 10 a.m.

Families can join the town hall meetings on the district’s official Facebook page or its official website here.


About the Authors:

Paula Tutman is an Emmy award-winning journalist who came to Local 4 in 1992. She's married and the stepmother of three beautiful and brilliant daughters. Her personal philosophy in life, love and community is, "Do as much as you can possibly do, not as little as you can possibly get away with".

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.