Michigan Radio's Doug Tribou talks to Paula Herbart, president of the Michigan Education Association. The state of Michigan wants students to have a chance to come back to their classrooms in less than two months. The state's largest teachers union supports the plan, but wants some assurances. On Friday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the state is urging schools to have an in-person option no later than March 1. Paula Herbart is the president of the Michigan Education Association (MEA). The MEA is the state's largest teachers union, representing about 120,000 teachers and staff members employed at public schools and in higher education.