Detroit schools set date to resume in-person classes

Detroit Public Schools Community District is bringing its students back for in-person learning on March 8, officials say.

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti made the announcement on Thursday to families, saying they still have the option to continue with online learning if they choose.

In November, Michigan's largest school district temporarily halted in-person classes and moved to online learning amid rising COVID-19 cases in Detroit.

On Wednesday, it reopened its learning centers where students can log in to online lessons and get help with schoolwork.

Detroit district officials have said they had hoped to resume in-person learning by mid-March or when the city’s COVID-19 positive infection rate is solidly below 5%.

Per the union contract, teachers will have the option to return to classrooms and employees will be required to retest for COVID before returning to work.

This week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer escalated her push to get all Michigan school districts to offer in-person instruction, calling it "crucial" and contending remote-only learning would hamstring the state's economy.

Whitmer said 83% of Michigan's more than 800 districts were offering some in-person learning. About 97% of traditional districts will provide some level of in-person learning to students by March 1, according to state officials.

jchambers@detroitnews.com