Dear Governor Whitmer and State Superintendent Rice,

The group signers and participants of this petition are parents, students, teachers, school staff, their families and concerned Michigan residents.

We stand together in the request that all Michigan K-12 schools remain 100% virtual until the Covd-19 virus is no longer a threat to the health and safety of Michigan communities.

Students and school staff, like the employees of many other government and private businesses, should be allowed to remain safely at home to work and learn until the Coronavirus has been demonstrated to be under control as evaluated by rigorous and consistent public safety benchmarks.

In order to give teachers and parents time to plan, we ask that Governor Whitmer and State Superintendent Rice announce immediately that K-12 education be held virtually.

Currently, and for the foreseeable future, in-person school during the Coronavirus poses these risks:

PUBLIC HEALTH RISK – The number of COVID-19 cases is not under control, CASES ARE RISING. At this time, it is not safe for students or teachers to return to school in person.

A. Covid19 is not the flu. Symptoms and complications are severe and can be life threatening. Aneurysms, neurological issues, loss of limbs, prolonged cough, shortness of breath, and damaged heart and lungs are just a few of the many long term physical health conditions that people are experiencing due to the virus. Many of these conditions could be lifelong and will require medical care for years to come.

B. There is minimal data regarding how covid is spread in schools. Historically, schools are well-known places for the sharing and spreading of infectious diseases. All the data we have on Covid 19 comes from less than a year of research when much of the world shut down in-person education. We have very little data regarding the impact of the virus on large groups of children and how it spreads in school environments, even modified ones.

C. Although the risk from transferring from child to child at this time is thought to be low, the risk of transferring the virus from child to adult is not low. Some teachers and staff are over 50, immunocompromised, living with someone who is immunocompromised, or living with and/or caring for elderly parents. The risk of a teacher, student ,or staff bringing the virus home to a loved one is statistically significant.

D. Research shows that Covid19 is an airborne illness. Many schools have out-dated ventilation systems which are not equipped to recirculate air in classrooms or keep the breathing environment safe and clean.

FINANCIAL RISK – THE COST TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS, STATES, AND THE COUNTRY WILL BE HIGH AND UNSUSTAINABLE.

A. The estimated cost of daily PPE for ALL staff and students, testing kits, sanitizing wipes, and hand sanitizer will cost an average school district approximately $1.8 million. Many districts cannot afford the necessary protective supplies. This is not sustainable long term.

B. The need for protective safety equipment and cleaning supplies will be ongoing, throughout the remainder of the school year, and arguably the foreseable future. To date, the escalated need for these items in the general public alone has overwhelmed the chain of supplies and much of it has become unavailable. This factor has been consistent since the beginning of the virus in the U.S.

C. The cost of additional teachers needed to lower class size to even 50% capacity and the extra necessary adult supervision to ensure student safety, would cost all districts another $1.8 million.

D. There is currently a national teacher shortage that will make it extremely difficult, especially under these circumstances, to find teachers to fill teaching rolls. Staffing classrooms will be a costly issue.

EDUCATIONAL RISK – STUDENT LEARNING WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY AN INSECURE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

A. Opening schools before cases have stabilized will mean students will be returning to a safety-focused classroom environment instead of an instructional-focused, learning environment.

B. The need for a prolonged, concentrated, and vital focus on safety creates a continuum of anxiety in students, which as we know, dramatically impairs the ability of the brain to take in and process information and directly inhibits student learning.

C. If school districts go back in person in the fall, additional closures will occur should Covid cases rise. Cases are already predicted to rise during the flu season. This will create continual disruption of the educational routine and environment which has been found to negatively impact student learning.

D. Should a member of a classroom contract the virus, the length of recovery time after contracting the virus can be anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months. This means students would suffer additional disruptions in education when teachers and students need to stay home due to illness.

E. Due to the current sub shortage, finding substitute teachers for absences is difficult under normal circumstances. Many districts are constantly struggling with this and have to cancel classes and/or move special teachers and administrators to cover classrooms. In addition, finding willing substitutes under the current circumstances that have experience in a specific subject area to take over for weeks will not only be difficult, but it will also significantly affect the quality and consistency of teaching and student learning.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL RISK – STUDENTS WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO A PRE-COVID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

A. Socializing will be minimal. Intermingling in the classroom, during lunch, recess, and passing time will be off-limits. The benefits of socialization will be reduced dramatically and managing and enforcing safe social distancing will be extremely difficult for teachers, bus drivers, administrators, and parents.

B. Younger children will have a very difficult time understanding, coping with, and maintaining the need for modified school environments and strict social distancing.

C. Studies now show older children spread the virus at the same rate as adults.This can cause anxiety for students when in a classroom with someone who refuses to wear a mask, or with someone who can’t wear a mask due to medical reasons.

LEGAL RISKS

A. Districts will face significant lawsuits if students and staff become infected with the virus and there has been any provable lapse or failure to provide identified safety measures for in-person schooling.

SAFE SOLUTIONS

A. Use covid stimulus money and money saved from the facility operating costs that accompany the temporary closing of school buildings and safety supplies to provide students with necessary technology and wi-fi.

B. Use above monies to subsidize working parents who need to stay home temporarily or find other child care options.

C. Utilize school cafeterias, gyms, and libraries to create small in-school virtual learning environments for elementary and middle school students who need supervision. Use of large areas with a small number of students would accommodate necessary social distancing protocols.

D. Create small neighborhood learning pods and provide subsidies for parents and day cares who oversee the education of neighboring children.