Ann Arbor Public Schools will be offering after school enrichment classes in some of its buildings this year.

A group of local parents is trying to find a solution for families in need of childcare this upcoming school year.

ANN ARBOR – Ann Arbor Public Schools welcomed preschool- through kindergarten-aged students back into school buildings on Thursday as part of its hybrid learning plan for the remainder of the school year. The district is starting with the youngest students and the students with the greatest needs, and will bring back older students in phases. AdAccording to a recent survey, 67.3 percent of K-12 students in Ann Arbor opted to return to a hybrid model while 24.5 percent opted to remain virtual; 8.2 percent did not respond. In her March 10 update, AAPS Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift shared what hybrid learning will look like and the district’s next steps. See some of those moments below:@A2_Carpenter We are excited to welcome all of our students to Hybrid Learning!

ANN ARBOR – Local parent Nick Bagley has penned an open letter to the Michigan legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer calling for legislation that would ensure children return to school full time this fall. “I think a lot of parents are feeling kind of hopeless about this school year,” said Bagley. Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift has publicly said that school will be back full time in the fall. “They’ve shredded the trust they had in the community.”He criticized the state’s decision to leave school openings during the pandemic up to the districts.

The Ann Arbor Board of Education approved this week a plan to return to a hybrid learning model starting March 25. (A4)📊 You can now track weekly COVID-19 vaccine data on the Washtenaw County Health Department’s website. (MLive)❤️️ Meanwhile, in a heartwarming move, City Council voted to gift $25,000 to the family of longtime Ann Arbor firefighter Craig Sidelinger who recently passed away from cancer. Know someone who loves Ann Arbor? AdAll About Ann Arbor is powered by ClickOnDetroit/WDIV.

Ann Arbor Reasonable Return co-founder Jesse Kauffman holds a sign at a rally organized by the group in downtown Ann Arbor on Jan. 30, 2021. ANN ARBOR – Parent group Ann Arbor Reasonable Return released a statement on Wednesday afternoon in response to the Board of Education’s vote to offer a hybrid learning option. “Today, we celebrate the vote by the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education to offer Hybrid/Hyflex learning,” reads the statement. The grassroots organization founded by local parents, including medical professionals, has been advocating for the safe return to face-to-face learning. Ann Arbor is the only district in Washtenaw County and one of few in the state that has remained virtual since the coronavirus pandemic began.

ANN ARBOR – The Ann Arbor Board of Education voted 6-1 on Wednesday to approve a recommendation brought forward by Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift to transition to an in-person hybrid learning model starting March 25. Swift reiterated AAPS’ original hybrid plan that students will attend school two days per week in order to achieve proper physical distancing in school buildings:The hybrid learning plan involves the assignment of students to an A or B cohort group. Students attend school two days per week, Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday; Wednesdays will remain a virtual, asynchronous day. According to its Feb. 17 motion, the School Board proposed that students with the greatest needs return to school buildings on March 22. The School Board will reconvene its regular meeting Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.

ANN ARBOR – In a rare move, Mayor Christopher Taylor and several members of City Council have sent a letter to the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education urging them to stick to their plan of returning to a hybrid learning model. “Ann Arbor students and families are stretched to the breaking point,” reads the letter. If the science shifts, or a virus variant changes everything, Ann Arbor will understand. If the science shifts, or a virus variant changes everything, Ann Arbor will understand. AdThe City of Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor Public Schools have a long and successful history of working together to promote our children’s education, community, and health.

A high school student holds up a sign at a protest outside Skyline High School in Ann Arbor on Feb. 20, 2021. ANN ARBOR – Dozens of students and parents stood outside Skyline High School holding signs and giving speeches on Saturday, calling for the Ann Arbor Board of Education to continue with their original plans to return to school buildings beginning in March. AdAnn Arbor Public Schools students hold up signs at a rally to reopen schools at Skyline High School on Feb. 20, 2021. Skyline High School senior Eli Hendricks addresses a crowd of students and parents outside his school in Ann Arbor on Feb. 20, 2021. Signs posted outside Skyline High School's student entrance in Ann Arbor call for the return to hybrid learning.

ANN ARBOR – The Ann Arbor Board of Education released a statement on Friday evening clarifying the details of next week’s vote after considerable uproar from some community members. “At our meeting on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education voted to direct Superintendent Jeanice Kerr Swift to explore the feasibility of modifying its current Return to School Plan,” the Board clarified. “The Board apologizes for any confusion this vote on Wednesday may have caused our community during an already stress-filled school year due to the pandemic. Ad“The Board’s vote did not change or alter the approved transition to hybrid-in school learning option,” read the statement. In response to the Board’s motion, parent group Ann Arbor Reasonable Return launched a GoFundMe on Thursday, raising more than its $30,000 goal in less than 24 hours to establish a political action committee.

ANN ARBOR – High schoolers have organized a rally to take place at Skyline High School on Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. calling for the return to in-person learning. The move comes days after the Ann Arbor School Board made a motion to direct Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift to recommend that the majority of students remain in a virtual setting for the rest of the year. Ad“I created a Google form asking Ann Arbor students to express how they feel about online school and if they want to go in person. Parent group Ann Arbor Reasonable Return raised over $30,000 in less than 24 hours to establish a political action committee against the Ann Arbor School Board over its quick motion to potentially change its return to school plan it laid out in January. AdRelated reading:Ann Arbor School Board will vote next week on plan to continue virtual learning through end of yearHundreds of physicians, psychologists call for Ann Arbor Public Schools to reopenParents call for schools to reopen at rally in downtown Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR – A GoFundMe organized by parent group Ann Arbor Reasonable Return has surpassed its $30,000 goal in under 24 hours. “Ann Arbor Reasonable Return is exploring all options to get relief for families in the Ann Arbor Public Schools who have been in virtual only learning since March 13, 2020,” reads the GoFundMe page. “We are raising funds for establishing a political action committee (PAC) that can then take steps like retain professional legal and lobbying counsel. According to the Board of Education, if they vote to keep school virtual, children with the greatest needs will be able to return to buildings at the end of March. AdCo-founder of Ann Arbor Reasonable Return Lena Kauffman said that the group is currently in the process of signing with the firm.

The Ann Arbor School Board will vote next week whether or not to continue virtual learning through the end of the school year. ANN ARBOR – In a Board of Education meeting that lasted nearly six hours on Wednesday, the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board approved a resolution to modify its plan to return to in-person learning in favor of finishing the school year virtually. The Board voted 5-2 in favor of the motion. Trustee Kelly questioned the legality of the motion and urged the vote be postponed by a week. During next Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting, the Board will vote on Superintendent Swift’s recommendation to continue in-person learning through the end of the school year for the majority of students.

Published: May 21, 2020, 10:15 am Updated: May 21, 2020, 11:51 pmANN ARBOR The Ann Arbor Board of Education provided several updates on Wednesday evening at a study session, namely that the 2020-21 school year will begin on Aug. 31. District officials said classes will be a modified face-to-face, blended and virtual learning experience. According to a district study, students in elementary, middle and high school reported high participation in distance learning. Heres the breakdown of the levels:Elementary: More than 93% of students participating in distance learningMiddle school: 88% of students participating in distance learningHigh school: 88% of students participating in distance learningAdditionally, 99% of families in the district confirmed to have connectivity capability. If there are any health concerns returning to school, virtual learning will still be offered.