March 8, 2022
Grand Rapids Public Schools Throw in the Towel
Lansing, Mich., March 8, 2022 – Students across Michigan have suffered countless setbacks throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, facing school closures and altered educational programming that have stunted their development. As a result, graduation rates for Michigan students dropped for the first time in five years – by 1.6%, and over fifty percent of third-grade students failed the states’ annual literacy exam.
In Michigan’s eighth largest school district, school board officials have chosen to abandon students, rather than providing them with assistance to overcome the impacts of Covid-related closures. Citing the impacts of Covid and virtual instruction, the Grand Rapids Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution that will lower graduation requirements for students for the second straight year. MLive reports:
“The Grand Rapids Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution to amend the district’s graduation requirements during a board meeting Monday, March 7. This is the second year in a row that the district has lowered its requirements to help students who may have struggled during the pandemic.”
After two consecutive years of watering down graduation requirements, it calls into question whether members of the Grand Rapids Board of Education are prioritizing students, or simply making their own jobs easier.
“School Board officials should be identifying solutions to help students increase their educational achievement, not lowering the bar and graduating students who are unprepared,” said Eric Ventimiglia, Executive Director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “The members of the Grand Rapids Board of Education are failing students.”