Ann Arbor schools strongly urging students, staff to wear masks upon return from winter break

ANN ARBOR – In a message sent to the Ann Arbor Public Schools community on Friday, Superintendent Jeanice Swift urged students, teachers and staff to wear face masks during the first two weeks of school following winter break.

“As we return to school in 2023, our continued priority is the health and safety of our students and staff; we are working together to reduce the risk of classroom and school exposures to illness,” Swift wrote. “We all share the goal of preserving and prioritizing every school day for important in-person teaching and learning by lowering the numbers of staff and student absences this winter.”

She said the district is “strongly urging” all community members to wear face masks while inside school buildings between Jan. 9-20.

Swift’s comments come following a challenging week for the district as winter break approached.

Read: University of Michigan experts: Masks still effective way to stay healthy during ‘tripledemic’ viral season

Several schools closed down for entire school days due to a high level of staff illnesses and subsequent absences. The situation became so severe the district published a new health advisory.

Illnesses circulating this season within AAPS include RSV, influenza, COVID and the common cold, according to district officials.

Below is Swift’s full statement:

January 6, 2023

Dear AAPS Families, Students, and Staff,

We hope you have had a healthy and enjoyable holiday break! We are excited to welcome students and staff back from winter break on Monday.

As we return to school in 2023, our continued priority is the health and safety of our students and staff; we are working together to reduce the risk of classroom and school exposures to illness. We all share the goal of preserving and prioritizing every school day for important in-person teaching and learning by lowering the numbers of staff and student absences this winter.

Today, Washtenaw County continues in the CDC’s Community Level Medium for COVID. Influenza and other respiratory illnesses continue to circulate in our community.

Let’s work together in the AAPS to ensure a successful start to 2023.

We strongly urge families, students and staff to take the following steps to keep classrooms and schools open and prevent the spread of illness in our schools.

1. Wear a tightly-fitting mask while indoors for the first two weeks of school following return from winter break, Jan. 9 - 20. Extra masks are available at all school buildings for use by students and staff.
2. Keep your student(s) home, if experiencing respiratory symptoms, a fever, or vomiting/diarrhea. See When to Keep a Child Home from School Due to Illness.
3. If your child is diagnosed with COVID, RSV, or influenza, please report their case to your school so that we may better understand the illnesses circulating in our AAPS school communities. (For COVID, report the case using this form and follow isolation guidance.)

For support with questions about sending your student to school, or any of these illnesses, please contact your health care provider or your school nurse.

Reminder: there’s still time to get a flu shot and COVID booster, if you haven’t already. Flu shots are recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older. The Pfizer bivalent booster is authorized for those 5 years and older who are 2+ months past their last COVID vaccine or booster dose.

Together, we can make this a healthy and strong start as we return to school to begin 2023.

Yours in health,

Jeanice K. Swift, PhD

Superintendent of Schools