- Ann Arbor Public Schools
- Superintendent's Messages
February 11, 2022 - Masks in Schools
UPDATED FEBRUARY 25, 2022
Hello AAPS Community,
The AAPS will maintain all existing health and safety protocols, including universal masking, for AAPS schools, programs, and offices until further notice.
We will continue to hold the health and safety of our students and staff as our top priority. We are charged with the responsibility of supporting our students with healthy in-school learning environments each day and will take very seriously any proposed removal of a critical layer of COVID mitigation and protection for our students, staff and families.
As a reminder, the AAPS requirement for universal masking was announced last July 30th, based on best practices for COVID mitigation. It was not connected to or contingent upon the Washtenaw County Health Department Emergency order issued last fall.
We will continue to closely monitor the number of cases in our schools as we consider the timing of next steps with masking in the AAPS.
More specifically, we are looking to see:
- a sustained reduction in the number of cases in our AAPS schools,
- a sustained reduction in the number of clusters of cases (we have been managing at least 14 school clusters in schools since mid-January),
- protection for youngest preschool students (under 5 years) who cannot yet be vaccinated, as well as for immunocompromised students and staff,
- ability to maintain successful staffing of all schools and operations to sustain in-school learning, and
- the reduction in cases sustains as more student activities and opportunities open.
We all share the goal of continued healthy, quality in-school learning experiences for our students. As we move toward the upcoming spring season, we are all eager to continue the restoration of many more activities, events and growth opportunities for our students, staff, families and school communities. As a result, we will continue to take a thoughtful and measured approach to AAPS COVID mitigation steps, including the universal wearing of masks indoors, to support student and staff health and safety.
The AAPS will maintain all existing health and safety protocols, including universal masking, for AAPS schools, programs, and offices until further notice. We will continue to update our students, staff, families and community as we move through this process together.
Sincerely,
Jeanice K. Swift
Superintendent of Schools
Ann Arbor Public Schools