State Superintendent Calls For Extending Michigan's School Year

(CBS DETROIT) - State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice is calling to extend the number of schools days next year due to lost learning during the pandemic.

Rice testified in front of a joint committee Tuesday and said a return to "pre-pandemic education is not enough" adding that the approach needs to be multi-layered. Michigan schools are currently required to have 180 days.

Detroit school board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo said, "We're going to have to look at some creative ways of not just checking off a box for the number of days."

Rice said in-person classes can resume in the winter if COVID cases remain low and the access to coronavirus vaccines continues to increase.

The state superintendent asked the federal government for a waiver so students in Michigan won't have to take the standardized math and reading tests in 2021.