By David Fleet
Editor
Goodrich-On Monday night the school board of education voted 7-0 to OK the district’s COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan.
“With the goal in mind of creating learning environments that will be appropriate for our families, we came together for intense planning sessions over the summer months both as a district administrative team and through our individual building Task Force meetings,” said Wayne Wright, district superintendent.
The plan can be viewed in its entirety on the district website. Registration into the program, should be no later than Aug. 9, 2020. This commitment will be for a full semester (ending Jan. 22, 2021), even if the Governor moves schools back to Phase 3.
“One important change to note, face coverings will be required for all students in grades DK-12,” said Wright. “We strongly encourage our students to begin practicing wearing a face covering, for extended periods of time, over the next few weeks. K-5 students will be given mask breaks throughout the day.”
Goodrich Area Schools will offer two quality learning options for students this fall. The two options presented are for phases four and five of reopening are in-person or online.
The five days a week of in-person learning within the districts buildings is guided by the Governor’s Return to School Roadmap, created a plan to reopen the district in a way that maximizes safety, learning, and the well-being of students and staff.

Goodrich Virtual, is a fully remote option where students will work directly with a Goodrich teacher and learn virtually through course content that is aligned to the Michigan Common Core State Standards. Students will be provided virtual courses from the Accelerate Education course catalog. Goodrich teachers will provide feedback, grading, support, and additional direct instruction based on the needs of the student.
“If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the best laid plans can change with the latest press conference, order, or news report,” said Wright.
“We look forward to the 2020-2021 school year and resuming education for our Goodrich students,” he said. “Whether face-to-face or virtual, this school year will require a strong, continued partnership with our families. Thank you for trusting us with your child’s education. We will be ready to welcome our students on Aug. 31, 2020.”