Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Houghton-Portage Township Superintendent Doreen Kramer passes out a monthly COVID-19 report to board members during Monday’s monthly meetings.

HOUGHTON — At the first Houghton-Portage Township Schools’ Board meeting since in-person instruction resumed, the board heard a now-required monthly update on COVID-19.

The district is posting COVID-19 plans and updates on its website at hpts.us/back-to-school.php. Districts are now required to publicly report any positive or probable COVID-19 cases on its website within 24 hours. The district’s report shows no positive or probable cases since Oct. 12, when the reporting requirement took effect. Teachers at the middle school and elementary school had tested positive for COVID in September; though taking place before the state requirement went into effect, the district reported them publicly at the time.

The district is also required to reconfirm how instruction will be delivered during the school year, relay public comments from parents or guardians on the extended learning plan and review weekly two-way interaction rates.

Houghton is offering both face-to-face and virtual instruction for the fall semester. About 76% of students chose face-to-face, Kramer said.

The district is down about 22 students from the projection of 1,400 students, Kramer said.

Since the start of the school year, there have been 25 days of face-to-face instruction and nine days of remote, those coming during the two-week pause instituted as a response to rising COVID-19 numbers amid community spread.

Also being reported are the weekly rates by school of what percentage of students attended either an in-person or remote class. Aside from the middle school, which was as low as 78% in week 3, all schools had been above 90% each week. As of Week 4, all were above 90%: 95% at the elementary school, 91% at the middle school and 92% at the high school.

“Right now, we are expecting that some students are going to be out more often,” she said. “If students aren’t feeling well, or they’re just not too sure, they’re probably going to stay home more than they have in the past.”

The report stated based on comments received from the public, the face-to-face and remote learning options have been appreciated.

Multiple parents critical of the district’s strengthened mask requirements spoke at the September meeting. At October’s meeting, one parent thanked the district for their work. He declined to give his name after the meeting.

He works with many elderly people, including giving more than 40 senior citizens flu shots at a recent clinic.

“If one of my kids gets sick, and they pass it on to me, and then I pass it on to them, that can be a dangerous situation,” he said. “But I appreciate your efforts, using common sense, trying to follow the rules and regulations suggested out there.”