Ann Arbor schools to go hybrid; push for teacher vaccines; venomous spiders close U-M library

Community High graduates wave from their cars on June 12, 2020. (Ann Arbor Public Schools)

Happy Friday!

What a week. (And yes, you did read that third headline correctly).

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The Ann Arbor Board of Education approved this week a plan to return to a hybrid learning model starting March 25. The return to school will occur in phases, starting with the youngest students. In-person classes will only take place twice a week, with two cohorts switching days in order to reduce the number of people in buildings.

The move was in stark contrast to last week’s motion to put to vote a recommendation by Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift to keep school virtual for the rest of the year. That action prompted a public outcry from parents and students who had planned to return after almost a year at home. On Wednesday, Swift said the promise of more teacher vaccines against COVID-19 and the approval of rapid testing in school buildings helped inform her recommendation to reopen.

Have a great weekend.

- Meredith (@meredith_A4)

What’s been happening:

💉 The Washtenaw County Health Department, Michigan Medicine and IHA will vaccinate approximately 1,200 Ann Arbor-area teachers on Saturday against COVID-19 as schools start to reopen. (A4)

🕷 The discovery of venomous spiders at University of Michigan’s undergraduate library caused the building to shut down for two days this week. The school later called the measure -- which made national headlines -- a mistake. (A4)

📊 You can now track weekly COVID-19 vaccine data on the Washtenaw County Health Department’s website. (A4)

🏥 Michigan Medicine has resumed first-dose appointments for eligible individuals after a two-week pause due to low supply. (A4)

🍀 Mayor Christopher Taylor vetoed this week a downtown St. Patrick’s Day event that City Council had approved. (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. (MLive)

🚧 A pump failure during a sewer relining project caused the closure of all lanes on a portion of South Main Street on Monday. As a result, an estimated 10,000 gallons of sanitary sewage was released onto the road, into storm drains and eventually the Huron River. (A4)

🎤 Get your tickets for the annual local high school talent show FutureStars, which livestreams on March 13. (A4)

Good to know:

🍸 How did no one think of this before? Meet the team of U-M students who invented the Scrunchie Shot, and why their professor challenged them to get banned from the Big House. (A4)

🥔 Zingerman’s Cornman Farms will be hosting a weekly Pie & Mash Pop-Up Shop in March. Just wait until you see the flavors. (A4)

🌌 Another weekly event this month: Gazing at the stars from your own living room with these free planetarium shows from U-M’s Museum of Natural History. (A4)

✂️ Crafters, take note! SCRAP Creative Reuse has launched an online store with shipping. This could get dangerous. (A4)

Feature interview of the week:

“I like being a part of a cohort that looks and acts similar to me. It’s not pretending to do all those fundraising rounds and stuff. It’s: ‘We scraped by.’”

- Lisa Sauve, CEO and Principal of Synecdoche Design Studio, who was just named to Forbes Next 1000 list

🗨 Have something to share? Write me anytime at mbruckner@wdiv.com.

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About the Author:

Meredith has worked for WDIV since August 2017 and was voted one of Washtenaw County's best journalists in 2019 by eCurrent's readers. She covers the community of Ann Arbor and has a Master's degree in International Broadcast Journalism from City University London, UK.