NORTON SHORES, MI – Mona Shores Public Schools will shift all students to fully remote learning next week as coronavirus cases surge in Muskegon County, where the COVID-19 test positivity rate is currently 22%.
While students in grades 9-12 are already taking classes virtually due to a statewide mandate closing all high schools and colleges, Mona Shores students in grades PreK-8 will shift to online-only learning beginning Monday, Nov. 30, according to an email from Superintendent Bill O’Brien.
O’Brien cited Muskegon County’s positivity rate, as well as the upcoming holiday season, as the reason for switching to virtual learning for all students.
“With the upcoming holidays we have a proactive plan to do our part to try to slow the spread in our community, county, and state,” O’Brien said in the message to district families.
“This decision has been one of the hardest yet as we have worked around the clock, seven days a week to keep our students in school. We are at that point where it is now much bigger than just us.”
All students will be in fully remote learning from Nov. 30 until Dec. 14. For the week of Dec. 14-18, all students, including grades 9-12, will return for a week of in-person learning before leaving for winter break.
The week of face-to-face instruction will give students an opportunity to replenish their at-home learning materials and check in with teachers on any areas they may be struggling with, O’Brien said.
After holiday break, which is scheduled for Dec. 21-Jan. 1, students will continue remote learning for two weeks beginning Jan. 4. In-person learning will resume for all students on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
The schedule was built with a two-week remote learning period following each major holiday, O’Brien said. This is a proactive mitigation effort to avoid COVID-19 spread after the holidays.
“With families gathering, college students returning home, and people traveling there is likely to be more opportunity for COVID-19 to spread,” he wrote. “The two week shift to remote learning following the holidays allows for a district-wide quarantine period and allows the possibility of spread in our schools and community to decrease dramatically.”
There are currently three elementary students, two elementary staff, one middle school student and two high school students who have recently tested positive for COVID-19 across the district, according to the Mona Shores data dashboard.
Daily cases of the novel coronavirus have skyrocketed in Muskegon County over the past month. There have been 2,137 new cases over the past seven days, out of the total 6,195 cases reported in Muskegon County since the start of the pandemic.
A total of 7,889 students and staff have been infected by coronavirus in school-related outbreaks, a 9% increase over last week, according to data released Monday by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
The state health department ordered all Michigan high schools and colleges to move to online classes for three weeks in response to surging coronavirus cases. Most West Michigan K-8 schools also moved online, although elementary and middle schools can still conduct in-person learning if the local district allows it.
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