Lansing School District plans to begin school year with virtual learning

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - At Thursday night’s school board meeting, the Lansing School District announced it will begin the 2020-21 school year with 100 percent virtual learning.

The proposed plans were announced in a virtual presentation led by Deputy Superintendent Delsa Chapman.

“We will have district-wide, remote, one-to-one technology and what we’re deeming as screen-to-screen learning.”

Chapman said the goal is to try and make the live screen to screen learning experience as close to in-person as possible.

“Attendance will be required,” Chapman said.

After the plan was presented, the board was allowed to ask questions and share their concerns. Many of those concerns focused around working households.

“Households or families where both parents are working, what plans does the school district have to support those households,” Farhan Bhatti, a trustee, said.

Lansing School Board President Gabrielle Lawrence says she knows not everyone is on board with the plan but thinks it’s the best decision.

“Maintaining health and safety is priority number one,” Board of Education President Gabrielle Lawrence said.“Again, we know that not everyone is going to be happy. Not everyone is going to be satisfied. We hope that everyone can bear with us as we try to navigate this really difficult situation that we’re going to be dealing with.”

Superintendent Sam Sinicropi said in a statement that he hopes to get students back to in-person learning as soon as possible.

“Hopefully we can begin to get our students back into the classroom at their school, with their teachers, by the end of the first marking period, which is around the first week in November,” Sinicropi said.

The district is planning to start the school year on Monday, August 31st.

Chapman will be live via Facebook to answer questions about the back to school plan at 10 a.m. Friday. The Lansing School District will seek input from stakeholders, including staff, parents, students and community partners via additional virtual forums on the following dates:

• 3 p.m. Monday with district administrators

• 1 p.m. Tuesday with K-12 instructional and support staff.

• 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday with parents, students, community partners and business affiliates

Click here to access the link to the Facebook Live Q and A.

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