Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday urged Michigan schools to offer all K-12 students an option of returning to classrooms by March 1. The guidance was not an order — local school districts will continue to be allowed to make their own decisions about what is best for their communities — but Whitmer’s message offered a glimpse of a return to normal life as COVID-19 vaccines begin to be administered, however fitfully, through the winter. “The value of in-person learning for our kids is immeasurable, and we must do everything we can to help them get a great education safely,” Whitmer said. It wasn’t immediately clear how many students are potentially impacted by the state’s tweaked guidance on school reopenings. Most districts in the state have offered at least an option of in-person instruction at some point during the current school year, which began in September.