LANSING – Governor Gretchen Whitmer is calling for schools to have in person learning available to students.

During a Friday afternoon media briefing, Whitmer says the coronavirus vaccine will soon be available to teachers along with other people in the education section. Because of that, Whitmer says schools should be offering some in person learning to the students in their district. Whitmer says she and her administration is announcing a goal for all school districts in Michigan to offer an option for in person learning by March 1 or earlier if possible. She says in person learning is vitally important and everything must be done to help children get the great education they need and to do so safely.

While the March 1 deadline is not mandated, the Governor said she wants districts to meet it. She said with vaccines rolling out and many schools already implementing strict virus mitigation protocols like social distancing, mask wearing and cohorting students, kids should be able to go back to school safely.

Even though Whitmer says she wants each school district to have an in-person option, she said she still supports hybrid options and allowing parents to keep their kids remote if they’re worried about the virus.