HOLLAND, Michigan — It’s going to be a busy day for parents, kids and teachers as they head back to school in Ottawa County Wednesday.
Jason Craner, the communications director with the Holland Public Schools District, says it's exciting for families because it’s the first time in two years that children are returning to the classroom without masks on their faces.
“We are working really closely with the Ottawa County Health Department to make sure that we're staying on top of any COVID or any illness really. And we want to continue to have parents be very vigilant about looking for symptoms and following up with those symptoms by not bringing kids to school and getting tested,” Craner said.
While some school districts have been struggling to hire teachers for the new school year, the Holland Public School District is in good shape.
“Holland has had a really great summer of hiring, we've had at least 30 new teachers come into the district over the summer, which we're really excited about because these aren't brand new teachers," Craner said. "These are seasoned teachers who are coming back into classrooms.”
However, the district could use more bus drivers.
“We have enough bus drivers to cover all of our routes this morning. But those routes are so tight, that we're going to be dropping kids off minutes before the bell rings," he said. "So what we're asking today is for a little bit of patience for our bus drivers.”
Thanks to a bond passed last year, improvements have been made to school buildings. Two elementary schools have brand-new playgrounds and more projects are in the works.
“We're so grateful again to the community who approved those bond dollars and we're going to continue each summer to see more and more work done over the next few years,” Craner said.
New this year at Holland Public Schools is a nature-based education program at Holland Heights.
“We're teaming up with the outdoor Discovery Center Education Network and providing outdoor learning experiences for kindergarten through second-grade kids," Craner said. "This is an awesome opportunity for kids to learn in a fresh new way.”
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