(WXYZ) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the state's decision to resume contact sports for student athletes during a press conference Thursday.
RELATED
Michigan winter high school contact sports can resume Feb. 8
Read the Michigan Epidemic Order allowing winter contact sports to begin next week
Additionally, the governor signed an executive order to create the Student Recovery Council of Michigan. The council aims to provide guidance and recommendations for Michigan students.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Michigan hard, and our students, families, teachers, and school staff have all felt the strain. Still, our educators have worked tirelessly to teach our children during this pandemic under the most stressful conditions, and for that our state is forever indebted to them for their service,” Whitmer said. “It is important to remember that schools also provide other services that students need to succeed including reliable access to the internet, nutritious meals, and mental health supports. COVID-19 has exacerbated inequities in our education system, and we know more work is needed to address the significant impact this pandemic has had on our children. This Council will be integral to ensuring our students and educators are equipped with everything they need to thrive.”
Housed within the Department of Technology Management and Budget, the council will be composed of 29 members from diverse backgrounds who are appointed by the governor. The Council is tasked with:
- Developing and submitting recommendations to the governor, state superintendent, and state budget director regarding student recovery.
- Recommending actions to develop and improve systems for academic support for students who experienced learning loss due to COVID-19.
- Recommending actions to develop and improve systems for mental and physical health for students impacted by COVID-19.
- Recommending actions to develop and improve systems to support high school students transitioning into postsecondary education.
- Recommending actions to develop and improve out-of-school time supports, including, but not limited to, summer school, before and after school programs, and extended school years.
- Assembling critical voices from the education and public health communities to assist in identifying key challenges students face due to the pandemic.
- Providing other information or advice or take other actions as requested by the governor.
- Reporting regularly to the governor on its activities and make recommendations on an ongoing basis.
Active cases of COVID-19 have gone down 60% in the past month, according to data from the state.
On December 30, Michigan reported 157,400 active cases of COVID-19. On Jan. 30, there were 62,800 active cases.
Additionally, active cases peaked at 218,100 on Dec. 11.
Percent positivity in COVID-19 cases has been decreasing as cases have significantly declined since the beginning of the surge in November.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.