August 27, 2023 - Superintendent's Update, Closed Schools

Hello AAPS Community, 

Due to power outages and storm-related issues, the following five (5) schools will be closed tomorrow, Monday, August 28th; before- and after-school activities will also be canceled for tomorrow. 

  • Forsythe Middle School, 
  • Huron High School, 
  • Lakewood Elementary, 
  • Thurston Elementary, and 
  • Wines Elementary

We are all focused on the priority of welcoming all our students and staff safely back to school for a strong start of the 2023-24 school year across our Ann Arbor Public Schools. 

The systemwide impact of the extended electrical outages following the storm on Thursday night - to our schools, campuses, infrastructure and operations across the school district - has been significant.

Following the restoration of power at each location, our teams must work diligently to reset building systems, including fire suppression, secure and replace food for meal service, confirm campuses have been cleared of all downed lines and trees, and address any adjacent issues, including the closure of roads and sidewalks around the schools and the ability for cars and buses to travel to and from school locations.  In addition, our school teams must have adequate time to prepare and restore classrooms for the arrival of students. 

We deeply appreciate the efforts of the Ann Arbor Public Schools teachers and school teams, ITD, facilities, food and nutrition and many other team members who have continued working diligently through this weekend, making every effort to reopen our schools as safely and as quickly as possible. 

I want to note that the storm damage in the area around Forsythe and Wines is more significant than at other school locations, and safely reopening those schools presents a greater challenge. We commit to continuing to work diligently to bring these two schools back online as quickly as possible, and will  share an update on their status  later in the day on Monday.  

We look forward to joyfully welcoming all our beautiful students and staff back to our AAPS schools very soon.

Thank you, AAPS community, for your partnership and support of our students, schools, and community during this very challenging time. 

Sincerely, 

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Superintendent of Schools
Ann Arbor Public Schools