South Lyon protests held against online learning for fall

SOUTH LYON, Mich. (FOX 2) - We have seen in Detroit some teachers and parents have protested plans for in-person learning in the midst of a pandemic.

But in South Lyon, they were protesting plans for online learning to start the school year, chanting, "We want a choice."

"We just feel like there's got to be a better option," said parent Tammy Oliver. "Other schools in the area, other schools in other states, everywhere else, are getting choices and we just haven't felt that we're getting the right choice."

It has been a contentious start to a school year that has not yet started. Now districts are finalizing their plans with South Lyon getting hundreds of emails.

"We read them very thoroughly and thoughtfully and take them all into careful consideration," said Carrie Hanshaw, South Lyon school board president. 

After a seven and a half-hour virtual meeting that started Monday night and wrapped up early Tuesday morning,  South Lyon now one of the many school districts voting to start the year online and re-evaluate as time goes on to determine if students can go back to class - safely - for all involved.

Other districts with similar plans include Utica, where students will begin with virtual learning only. A similar plan is being implemented in Clarkston, Dearborn, Wayne-Westland, and Livonia.

"We just wanted to make sure we were doing it as safe as we could for both our students, the staff, the administrators and everybody involved," said 

Livonia school board President Mark Johnson says they will start online for the first three weeks of September and decide at the end of the month if it is safe to transition back to in-school learning.

He's well aware people have very strong opinions about what this school year should look like.

"Everybody's having a tough time - we have to work together to make it all work and in the end, we're going to beat this thing and we're going to get our kids back into the schools," Johnson said.

Some districts are offering in-school instruction. In the L’Anse cruise district, parents will have a choice of whether to send their kids for in-person classes, or, to keep them home for virtual learning.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District also offering – face-to-face or on-line learning. They have been holding a series of virtual town halls with the superintendent to answer questions and get parents up to speed on this new school year that is unlike any other.