Most school districts Up North have returned to in-person learning in the past few weeks, and several are already seeing COVID-19 cases among students and staff.
School districts in Traverse City, Leland, Harbor Springs, Kingsley and Cadillac have all had confirmed coronavirus cases.
Traverse City Area Public Schools is the only district that hasn’t returned to face-to-face instruction yet. They’re scheduled to do so Sept. 21.
“Anyone who realistically thought that they were gonna get through a school year without this affecting their district I think has their head in the sand," Kingsley Superintendent Keith Smith said.
Smith says the Grand Traverse County Health Department is working with local school districts on contingency plans if more COVID clusters are discovered.
Those plans include possibly closing schools temporarily to prevent the spread of the virus, or tweaking protocols like mask requirements.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced they will start providing weekly updates on COVID clusters in schools.