Education

Michigan school districts will soon be allowed to apply for millions of dollars of federal aid tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $13.2 billion Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund is meant to address the impact the COVID-19 public health crisis has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the United States. ESSER funding was included as part of the $2 trillion federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer wants to help store clerks and nursing home staff who are showing up for work during the COVID-19 crisis pay for college or job training.

Whitmer says her plan is modeled after the G.I. Bill that helped military veterans pursue higher education after World War II. The governor says she wants to use federal disaster funds to pay for the program.

Wayne State University officials say the school might have to cut up to $60 million from next year's budget as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. That number would represent about 15% of the institution's current projected budget.

University president M. Roy Wilson says while plans are in place for varying levels of financial impact, the university will not be laying-off employees yet.

Michigan State University President Samuel Stanley announced Thursday a series of budget cuts arising from the financial strain brought on by the coronavirus.

In a letter to all university employees, Stanley said he and all MSU top executives, of whom there are about 150, will take temporary, immediate pay cuts that could last through May or June or possibly up to a full year.

Jon and Cheryl Edwards filed suit against Michigan State University in federal court in late February.  

The lawsuit alleges a pattern of sexual misconduct by the late MSU history professor Harold Marcus more than 35 years ago when they were students at MSU.  

The Detroit Public Schools Community District will start making assignments and teacher instruction videos available next week, according to the district’s superintendent, Nikolai Vitti.

Online course materials will be posted on the district’s website. Paper copies will also be available at sites throughout the district, starting at its food distribution centers.

The University of Michigan Board of Regents Thursday voted unanimously to fire a prominent tenured professor accused of sexual misconduct.

David Daniels is a renowned opera singer and was a professor in the U of M School of Music, Theatre and Dance.

Regents at the University of Michigan are expected to consider a recommendation from its president that the school fire an opera singer and tenured music professor facing sexual assault charges.

Detroit Public Schools Community District officials are changing the way the district provides free meals to children in response to the governor’s order to “stay at home” during the COVID-19 outbreak.

If Michigan students return to classrooms this school year, they won’t have to take the M-STEP test.

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced Friday that students in states that have closed schools will not have to take federally-mandated assessments this year.

The Michigan State Department of Education is not counting online classes as school days. That’s according to a memo sent by the state Friday to school administrators.

That’s in response to questions raised after Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered schools closed until at least April 5 as part of the state’s response to the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

With the COVID-19 shutting down K-12 schools across the country, many parents and caregivers have suddenly become full-time homeschool teachers. It can be hard to adjust to this new routine and you may feel like you're dropping the ball. To help, we spoke with homeschoolers, both old and newly-appointed, to gather some tips that may help if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

In yet another step that would have been unthinkable just a week ago, Michigan is asking the federal government for a waiver on federally-mandated statewide student assessments this year.

In Michigan, that assessment is the M-STEP test. It’s given to all 3rd-8th and 11th graders in public schools. It was scheduled to start the week of April 13 and run through May 28.

Updated Thursday, March 12 at 3:32 p.m.:

On Thursday afternoon, the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) suspended postseason events indefinitely. This includes the ice hockey, girls gymnastics, and lower peninsula boys swimming and diving finals, which were scheduled for this weekend.

Additionally canceled are the girls and boys basketball tournaments, which were midway through early rounds of playoff progressions. 

Dearborn school officials announced Wednesday that the district is temporarily closing an elementary school after a staffer had been exposed to another person who tested positive for COVID-19.   

The school is the first in Michigan to be shut down due to a potential coronavirus exposure. 

Superintendent Glenn Maleyko tried to reassure parents during an evening news conference.

“The school is at a low risk,” says Maleyko. “However, out of an abundance of caution, we are going to close Whitmore-Bolles until the test results have been confirmed.”

The Paw Paw school district is dropping a controversial nickname.

The southwest Michigan district’s school board voted six to one this week to drop its “Redskins” nickname and mascot. 

The district has been under pressure for several years to make the change.  In 2017, the school board voted four to three to keep the controversial nickname.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and other top state officials put Wayne State University board members on notice Wednesday.

That came in the form of a letter urging the board to adopt a code of conduct.

Flint Community Schools Superintendent Derrick Lopez filed a formal complaint earlier this month with the Genesee Intermediate School District over special education funding.

Flint gets less money from the county compared to other districts, even though it has more kids who qualify for special education services. 

The Romulus school board suspended Acting Superintendent Flinnoia Hall for ten days without pay on Thursday, citing violations of the district's code of professional standards.

Hall called an African American district employee a racial slur and another profane slur during an open school board meeting Feb. 10th. Hall is also African American.

The president of the University of Michigan  apologized to "anyone who was harmed" by a late doctor after several former students said he molested them during medical exams at the school.

A former University of Michigan-Flint employee has filed a federal lawsuit against the university, alleging she was fired for advocating for better resources for LGBTQ students.

Four Saline high school students have sued their school district for punishing them over racist social media posts that used the 'N' word.

The federal lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, alleges that the Saline Area Schools violated the plaintiff's constitutional rights to free speech and due process, and that the school district did not have the authority to suspend or expel them over the posts. 

Grand Valley State University is offering a new online degree program aimed at adult students. The program expands on the online degrees already offered by the university.

GVSU president Philomena Mantella  says the new program will offer more flexibility.

Students at community colleges around the state will be able to transfer more credits to four-year colleges and universities under a deal signed this week.

Erica Lee Orians is the executive director of the Michigan Center for Student Success at the Michigan Community College Association. She says the agreement gives community college students more choices about where to transfer.