DAVISON, Mich., June 3, 2020, — State Rep. Sheryl Kennedy (D-Davison) was appointed to the Return to Learning Advisory Council today to help the state create a framework to safely, equitably and efficiently return Michigan students to in-person instruction in schools. Created by Gov. Whitmer earlier this month, the council is comprised of students, parents, frontline educators, administrators and public health officials to determine the best way to transition back to school in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Michigan’s tireless teachers have gone to incredible lengths, often at their own expense, to continue educating our students remotely during this unprecedented crisis. But while the work they’ve done has been critical to keeping our children on the path to success, nothing can truly replace the experience of in-person learning,” said Kennedy, who serves on the School Aid and Education House Appropriations Subcommittee. “Going to school is about more than what you read out of a textbook — it’s about building personal connections and relationships with peers and mentors, which is much harder to do through a computer screen. But to get students back into the classroom, we have to be sure that we take every precaution necessary to keep them healthy and safe. That’s why this advisory council is so important and why I’m so proud to be part of the process.”
Kennedy, a lifelong educator and administrator with a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, has made ensuring Michigan residents have access to safe, quality education a top priority of her time in the Legislature. Early last year, Kennedy introduced House Bill 4464 to create the MI Opportunity Scholarship program to provide tuition-free pathways for students to pursue higher education. She was also a leading co-sponsor of the recently-enacted, bipartisan MI Reconnect Program, allowing eligible Michigan adults to return to school for additional credentials tuition free.
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