Superintendent's Update, New Year 2021

As we enter this new year, 2021, with a new semester beginning just three weeks away, I want to take the time to update you on our current work and next steps in the AAPS.

Our work continues to be focused on three key and critical areas:

1. Delivering quality virtual learning opportunities to ensure connections, academic learning and progress across our AAPS virtual classrooms.
2. Enhanced student supports continue, including extending a safety net for students and families including food, devices and support with connectivity.
   Support for specialized learning needs, including professional services, social-emotional, mental health, and enrichment supports.
   We continue to mobilize every possible district and community resource. Our AAPS team is focused every day on outreach and support to meet our students and families in areas of need.  
3. We continue a laser focus on preparations for a safe and healthy return to in-school learning.

As we look ahead from this beginning of 2021, our goal remains to bring students back to in-school learning as soon as possible in the safest way possible.

Today, I want to specifically highlight in this update some of our preparation work in anticipation of reopening our AAPS campuses, including readiness of physical school buildings, participation in a pilot antigen testing program, and our partnership and support in staff and community vaccination efforts.

Readiness of School Buildings:

• Deep cleaned more than 3.4 million square feet of facilities –- according to CDC protocol, 
• reconfiguring of campuses to maintain safe distances,
• consistent flushing of water systems, including replacement of water filters and water testing in all district buildings; this healthy water work includes additional testing for legionella bacteria and mitigation in all areas where needed,
• comprehensive replacement of air filters and reprogramming of air circulation systems to improve indoor air quality,
• installation of touchless restroom fixtures in all buildings; elementary schools are completed and work continues at secondary campuses continues, and
• supplies of personal protective equipment remain at the ready for use in AAPS schools.

I want to thank our facilities teams for all their diligent work over these months to ensure our 35 buildings remain well-prepared for a COVID informed return to daily in-school operations.

AAPS Participation in MDHHS Pilot Antigen Test Program

Over recent weeks during winter break, in close coordination with the MDHHS, AAPS high school student-athletes who qualified for state tournaments and their coaches have participated in a pilot testing process. 

Antigen tests are completed at schools; the student self-administers a nasal swab, and a coach/Athletic Director/nurse uses the test kit to complete the testing process. Many thanks to our AAPS high school athletes who are currently testing in this way three times per week; as a result of their work, there is promise in this rapidly emerging testing process.

The focus of this pilot is to assess a testing protocol that can be used to ensure a safe and confident reopening of K12 schools. For more information on this project, you can review additional information at this website.

Washtenaw County Vaccination Efforts

The arrival of COVID vaccinations will prove a game-changer in our ability to emerge successfully as a school district and community from this COVID pandemic.

We are working closely in support of the capable Washtenaw County Health Department team as they coordinate the community vaccination effort. According to recent updates, we anticipate the vaccination process, including Phase 1B that prioritizes school personnel, to begin in the near future.

In the AAPS, we will offer vaccination information sessions to support our teachers and AAPS team members with answers to general vaccine questions. We will continue to mobilize available AAPS resources, offering our staff, locations and anything needed, in support of our Washtenaw County public health team and this immense community vaccination effort.

Considerations and Guidance for Reopening Decisions

The return to in-school learning and coordinating the effort to safely return students and staff is among the greatest challenges school districts will ever face. As this COVID situation continues to evolve rapidly, we are guided by a wider set of considerations in decision-making around the exact timing of confirming healthy and safe reopening decisions, including: 

• Student needs, including the needs and risks experienced among our most vulnerable students, families and neighborhoods,
• Availability of COVID testing and timely results,
• Capacity for completing prompt contact tracing efforts,
• Ability to ensure that all associated with the AAPS - including students, families and staff -     consistently complete the mitigation protocols when we return to schools,
• Level and trend of COVID community spread,
• Level of strain on community healthcare and hospital infrastructure, and
• Progress of COVID vaccination process

Next Steps

The commitment, innovation and creativity that has characterized a long tradition of excellence in the AAPS will continue through and beyond this COVID pandemic, and we will continue to work vigorously toward a safe and healthy return to in-school learning.

As we have planned, in the transition to in-school learning, we will begin with students with the greatest needs and the youngest students first, while also keeping in mind the needs for students at all levels to begin to connect for in-person activities as soon as it is safe to do so.

We will also continue, as we have promised, to offer virtual learning throughout this school year, as we know the needs of our families will vary throughout this COVID process.

We have come such a long way through this COVID time, and as we begin 2021 together, there are signs of progress on the horizon. Our work in preparing for a return, highlighted by building preparation, COVID antigen testing, and support with community vaccination efforts, further demonstrates our authentic commitment to a safe and timely return.

As we move into this new year, we will remain focused on daily monitoring of the COVID community spread situation, we will continue to ready preparations for a return to in-school learning and we will remain consistent with updates and communication with you to share more information as we are able to confirm information so that you can plan accordingly.

With the arrival of vaccines and potential in-school testing capacity, we are taking definitive, positive steps in the direction of returning our students to in-school learning for those families who may choose this option.  

However, we should balance our understanding of this situation that both of these significant efforts are in the very early phases of delivery.

To clarify, local health authorities oversee the vaccination process, following the guidance of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Our commitment is to continue to work in close collaboration, partnership and support of our excellent community public health team and these community public health processes.

At this early point, we understand that we all will continue to have many questions. 

Our commitment is that we will continue to communicate as frequently as we receive confirmed information on the progress of this important work, and we will remain in close communication, working step-by-step through this process alongside our staff and students, parents and community.

I am confident that we will continue together to uphold our priority of the health and safety of our students, staff, families and community, as well as work together to achieve our shared priority of a safe and responsible return of our students to in-school learning. 

Thank you for your patience, partnership and support as we work our way through this historic COVID time.

Sincerely,

Jeanice K. Swift