LANSING – During a Friday new conference, Governor Whitmer today announced the creation of the Return to Learning Advisory Council via Executive Order 2020-88, formalizing a process for determining how schools may be able to reopen in the fall.

The panel – which will be comprised of students, parents, frontline educators, administrators and public health officials – will be tasked with providing the COVID-19 Task Force on Education within the State Emergency Operations Center with recommendations on how to safely, equitably, and efficiently return to school in the Fall. The state’s government will also partner with a national nonprofit organization called Opportunity Labs to bring national expertise to this project.

Anyone interested can apply for the Return to Learn Advisory Council by going to Michigan.gov/appointments and click ‘apply now’ under boards and commissions. Those interested will be able to choose Return to School Advisory Council under the appointment information tab within the application. Applications are due by Wednesday, May 20.

The sate said the Advisory Council will provide the COVID-19 Task Force on education with recommendations on how to safely, equitably and efficiently return to school in the fall and assemble critical voices from education, public health and communities across the state to identify the key issues schools must consider before opening, including:

• Performing outreach to ensure the voices of stakeholders are included in the discussion of implementing the 2020-2021 school year in these challenging and uncharted circumstances.
• Ensuring experts in public health and epidemiology are informing the discussion of safety returning to school.
• Recommending actions to remove statutory/administrative barriers to delivering education before the state is at Phase 6 of the MI Safe Start Plan.
• Recommending actions to develop and improve systems for remedial support for students who experienced learning loss during the spring and summer.