By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

Hartland Consolidated Schools has released their latest Return to School draft for the upcoming year.

In the preface to the district’s July 22nd Return to Schools draft plan, HCS Superintendent Chuck Hughes called the process of developing the plan “difficult at best.” Districts everywhere are required to develop 3 plans for the upcoming year on how schools will operate based on which phase of the governor’s MI Safe Start Plan the district is in at any given time. Livingston County is currently in Phase 4, which allows for in-person learning to occur with requirements and strong recommendations.

In Phase 4, under the draft plan, Hartland students can choose remote learning, or in-person learning Mondays to Thursdays, with all students engaging in remote learning on Fridays. This allows cleaning staff and bus drivers time to do deep cleans and gives students attending classes experience with the online model, in case the district slips back to phase 3 and building again close. Masks will be required of all staff and students in classrooms for grades 5-12, but not of students in K-4 when in their classrooms and socially distanced. All students shall wear facial coverings in common areas and on buses. District cleaning staff will routinely disinfect common touch surfaces like light switches and door handles. Teaching staff will be responsible for wiping down desks in between classes. Online learning for students who choose that path, or for all should the region fall back into phase 3, will be “much more rigorous” than experienced at the end of last year.

In an email to WHMI, Superintendent Hughes stressed that these plans were still in draft format and that they are still working with employees and continuing to gather community input. The Board of Education is expected to finalize their approval of the plans by August 12th, a week ahead of their scheduled first day of school, August 19th.

To view the district’s current draft plan, visit www.HartlandSchools.us/COVID-19/ .