March 21st Update
COVID-19 Update March 21st
March 21, 2020
Hello AAPS Students and Parents, Staff and Community,
This has been an historic and challenging week for all in the Ann Arbor Public Schools community, and I want to reach to each of you today to thank you for your amazing outreach and work in support of our children and families over previous days.
We have an incredible AAPS Team and Ann Arbor community, and efforts to support our children and families during this public health emergency across our community have been truly inspiring.
I want to ensure you have updated information, particularly in some key and critical areas as you move through this weekend.
Clarification from Governor Whitmer re: Student Graduation and Grade-to-Grade Progress
There were announcements reported across media on Friday that caused high levels of concern among our a2schools community and across the state. Specifically, these statements raised concerns that students may not receive credit for missed time during this COVID-19 closure, placing their school progress in jeopardy.
We reached out immediately through our channels to communicate with the Governor's Office and to MDE, and on Friday evening received assurance in a follow-up communication directly from Governor Whitmer:
PLEASE NOTE, Gov Whitmer's clarification in her statement (full statement is included below):
"As you know, the situation has changed rapidly over the course of the past ten days. We do not know what the future will hold, but we are absolutely committed to ensuring the needs of our students, parents, and families are met as we navigate these uncharted waters. I will be working in the coming days to ensure our seniors graduate and that no child is held back as a result of our ability to provide face-to-face instruction during the COVID-19 school closure.
To teachers, administrators, and support staff – I thank you for stepping up and helping your students and families."
In this message, we have received a clear commitment directly from Governor Whitmer that student grade-to-grade and graduation progress will not be interrupted as a result of the COVID-19 school closure.
We will continue to keep our AAPS community updated on this matter; we note that the legislature will still need to act on a number of issues over the coming weeks in order to attend to the details.
Spring 2020 Standardized Assessment Update
Earlier this week, Michigan State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice, with my full support as well as that of other Michigan Superintendents, wrote a letter to Secretary of Education DeVos requesting that during the COVID-19 crisis, the US Department of Education waive the requirement that students nationally take state summative assessments.
On Friday, the U.S. Secretary of Education announced that students impacted by school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic can bypass standardized testing for the 2019-20 school year. She noted that upon a proper request, the Department will grant a waiver to any state that is unable to assess its students due to the ongoing national emergency, providing relief from federally mandated testing requirements for this school year.
At this time, efforts are continuing to align to confirm the cancelation of spring, 2020 assessments, and we will continue to work and follow up on this issue. We will update you as information is confirmed regarding assessments.
Message for Parents of Students with Special Needs (IEP) and Students with 504
The overarching concern we share is prioritizing how together we can best meet the immediate needs of students and ensure their connection and care through the duration of this school closure. As is the case for all students in the district, parents of students with an IEP or 504 can expect classroom teachers to be in touch with students daily, provide enrichment learning opportunities and be available to both students and parents via 'office hours.' Students who receive Teacher Consultant or Resource services can expect that those staff are collaborating directly with classroom teachers to coordinate the daily learning opportunities.
Teachers and support staff are committed to reaching out to our known vulnerable students with daily messages of care and to check in; please keep our teachers, school and district teams informed of any concerns you have. Working together, we can and will continue to take care of our students during this challenging time. Please note that all IEP and 504 meetings will be postponed until further notice. We will work through this process one step at a time. We take the importance and the quality of a student's IEP and 504 very seriously, and as time and events unfold throughout this closure, we will align processes and work together to clarify and communicate how we will best proceed with these processes.
Please see the full statement from Friday, March 20th for parents of students with an IEP or 504.
Mental Health Concerns
This is a stressful time for all and we want to ensure that if you are concerned about a student or anyone in our community, that you have community resources available. Please see our AAPS video You Are Not Alone where Hotline and resource phone numbers may be found. Please, let's all reach out to our neighbors and to those who may be vulnerable at this time and access professionals for assistance as may be needed.
AAPS DAY 5: COVID-19 CLOSURE UPDATE Facebook Live Event
We have worked to update our staff and community on each day over the first week of this closure event; all previous updates are archived on our AAPS COVID-19 page.
On Friday evening, we hosted a Facebook Live event as an end-of-week update. If interested, you can access this broadcast via our AAPS COVID-19 page.
SUMMARY of FACEBOOK LIVE EVENT
Some parents have shared that the videos are too much to absorb during a very busy time at home with children, and we understand this concern.
Please note that this email message contains a summary of all the critical update information included in the Facebook Live event.
We all recognize that this crisis may continue for some time - it looks like a marathon, not a sprint - and we will need to pace ourselves through this challenging time, remaining connected to each other, though we are physically apart.
We continue to monitor this situation over this weekend, and will reach out in direct communication as we are aware of any additional updates for our AAPS community.
Thank you for your unfailing support of our children and wishing you a healthy and safe weekend,
Jeanice Swift
Superintendent of Schools
Contact: BrownT56@Michigan.gov
Governor Whitmer Statement on Instructional Time During School Closure
LANSING, Mich. -- Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued the following statement regarding instructional time during school closure.
"Earlier today the Michigan Department of Education issued a memo regarding Instructional Time During School Closure. I know it caused a lot of confusion and panic among schools, teachers, students, and families. I wanted to provide some clarification from the perspective of the Governor’s Office.
"The memo does not mean that school work done during the mandatory school closure won’t 'count' toward grades, credits, or graduation. Each district should determine what services and supports they are able to provide during this unprecedented crisis. Many are focusing on meeting basic needs and are working around the clock to provide breakfast and lunch for hungry students. Other districts have the ability to provide more learning support as a result of one-to-one technology initiatives. I am in awe of the work that school employees are doing to support their kids and I applaud their efforts.
"As you know, the situation has changed rapidly over the course of the past ten days. We do not know what the future will hold, but we are absolutely committed to ensuring the needs of our students, parents, and families are met as we navigate these uncharted waters. I will be working in the coming days to ensure our seniors graduate and that no child is held back as a result of our ability to provide face-to-face instruction during the COVID-19 school closure.
"To teachers, administrators, and support staff – I thank you for stepping up and helping your students and families.
To students and especially parents, hang in there. We will get through this."