The Lansing Board of Education is delaying the start of classes until after Labor Day.
Lansing schools were originally set to begin remote instruction on Monday. However, the district is waiting on a backlog of about 38-hundred personal learning devices that were ordered in April. That’s pushed their start date to September 8.
There’s another reason for the delay. This week, a district employee who entered six buildings to deliver supplies tested positive for COVID-19. Spokesman Bob Kolt says because many teachers conducting remote learning will physically be in their classrooms, those buildings must be deep cleaned.
“So while the students are not there, many of our employees will be there," said Kolt. "So, that’s one of the reasons why we really have to make sure that those facilities are protected and cleaned for our staff and teachers.”
Some of those buildings will house the district’s new Learning Labs program, which gives working parents a safe place to bring their children for school.