LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that it is her “hope” that K-12 schools can reopen for in-person instruction in the fall and created an advisory council to develop a road map on when it is safe to return.

The governor, who closed schools in March to curb the coronavirus, stopped short of saying schools definitely will be allowed to reopen in late August or early September — less than 100 days away. Students currently are learning remotely, though typically have much less classwork.

“I can you that it's my hope that we will have some form of in-person instruction come the fall," she told reporters. “Of course, it's all going to be determined based on how many people keep wearing their masks, how many people keep washing their hands and staying away from crowds and observing 6 feet of distance. It's dependent on how we perform in the interim.”

The Return to School Advisory Council will advise Whitmer and a COVID-19 education task force. It is charged with submitting recommendations regarding the “safe, equitable and efficient” return to school in the fall. The panel will look at how to improve academic support for students who fall behind this spring and summer.

Whitmer said the group will have 21 to 25 school administrators, educators, health experts and include at least one parent and one student. They will “develop a road map and framework for helping us decide when it is safe to return and what that return looks like," she said.

Separately, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state's chief medical executive, urged parents to speak to their child's physician about getting important vaccines. Nonessential procedures are restricted under one of Whitmer's orders, but Khaldun said people should not delay seeking important medical care.

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