ANN ARBOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS — Today at 5:40 p.m., Superintendent Jeanice Swift announced that on Monday, Jan. 10 all AAPS schools will remain virtual. 

While Ann Arbor Open School and Bach Elementary School’s anticipated return is Tuesday, Jan. 18, due to the high number of positive cases amongst staff, other campuses will transition to in-person learning Tuesday, Jan. 11. 

“It is important to understand that we are shifting our focus from prevention of COVID to the work of managing high numbers of cases and outbreak containment and continuing the priority of having our schools open for students and staff to experience in-school learning,” Swift said. 

 According to Swift, more AAPS campuses’ anticipated return could be Tuesday, Jan. 18 depending upon staff case data. 200 COVID-19 (staff) cases were reported between Dec. 25 to Jan. 7, inhibiting staff members for in-person learning this week. This week 34  cases were reported, 27 being from the high school level. 

However, Swift does emphasize to the AAPS community that the situation has “dramatically improved from a year ago,” with AAPS super six mitigations implemented.   

“We appreciate the work of our students, teachers and staff, parents and families to support the modified transition from winter break to virtual learning this week,” the email reads. “We understand that some students and families will want to remain in a remote learning setting for additional days, and parents should contact their building principal to discuss possible next steps; as always, our teams will provide support to meet the needs of our students and families.” 

Swift writes the transition decisions from virtual to in-person learning will be decided upon the number of COVID cases in a classroom or school, Washtenaw Health County Department guidance, staffing and the overall in-school operations.

“This dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases is likely to extend over the coming three-four weeks and create conditions where we will struggle to staff our schools adequately to ensure supervision and a secure opening for students and staff,” Swift wrote. “We continue a strong commitment to having our students and staff together for in-school learning. We are focused on navigating this school year to achieve as many days of in-school learning as possible while also prioritizing health and safety.” 

AAPS will notify parents if transportation routes are suspended or modified, as soon as possible. Those families who would like to opt for an asynchronous virtual option or live option should contact [email protected] as soon as possible as space is limited. Swift encourages the community to get vaccinated. 

Vaccination and testing will be available at Pioneer from 4-6:30 on Jan.11, Jan. 18, Jan. 25 and Feb. 1