BOARD OF EDUCATION

In an open letter, labor unions representing 2,000 employees from the school system expressed being “extremely distressed” by the board’s move during a special Aug. 7 meeting.

Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift has been superintendent of the school district since 2013.

The Warren seventh grader whose heroism earned him national attention was honored by his school district.

The Macomb County middle school student who stopped his school bus after the driver passed out will be honored by the Warren Consolidated Schools Board of Education.

Voters in West Virginia will get the final say on a ballot question that would amend the state constitution to give the Republican-dominated legislature control over virtually every aspect of public schooling.

Blame bad budget assumptions and consistently declining enrollment for the budget hole the Birmingham Public Schools is in. The budget shortfall in totality is $14 million.

Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, Michigan’s lone black woman of Congress, announced Tuesday night that she would not run for re-election in 2022.

The Board of Education for Oxford Community Schools held its first board meeting since the shooting at Oxford High School.

As coronavirus outbreaks driven by the delta variant lead school districts around the U.S. to abruptly shut down or send large numbers of children into quarantine, some students are getting minimal schooling at home.

"The Board’s decision to recommend masks for our students and staff was based solely on the CDC’s return-to-school guidelines, which is not a health mandate."

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

Michigan’s Board of Education has approved a resolution that supports allowing local school districts to make “scientifically informed decisions” about whether to mandate COVID-19 masks for all students, teachers and visitors.

A L’Anse Creuse Public Schools board has voted to censure fellow member Shane Sellers after claims of misconduct.

Florida has become the latest state to ban “critical race theory” from its public schools.

Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) will not offer before-and-after-school childcare programs for school age students during the 2021-2022 school year.

The Farmington Public Schools Board Education voted 7-0 in favor of appointing Dr. Christopher Delgado as the district's new superintendent.

FILE - In this June 1, 2020, file photo, San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks outside City Hall in San Francisco. Breed joined a chorus of officials who have denounced the tweets by the vice president of San Francisco's school board, Alison Collins, as racist and anti-Asian. The posts resurfaced last week amid a surge of violence and harassment against Asian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the country. They are the latest embarrassment for San Francisco’s school board, which has prided itself on putting racial equity at the top of its agenda. Under a plan recently negotiated with its labor unions, San Francisco plans to phase-in the reopening of elementary school classrooms in mid-April.

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.

FARMINGTON, Mich. – The Farmington Public Schools Board of Education unanimously voted 6-0 on Tuesday to increase in-person learning and relax the 6-foot social distancing measure in order to increase in-person learning for students. The district will continue other mitigation practices such as mask wearing, hand washing, cleaning and sanitizing, air filtration and student partitions. The board also granted interim Superintendent Bobbie Goodrum to make decisions for the district on how to move forward. Districts across the state are seeking clarification on the March 22 date.”AdThe district is currently looking to offer five four-hour days of in-person learning for elementary students with no in-person lunch, as well as four full days of in-person learning for middle and high school students. Families who have chosen remote learning and learning at a distance can continue to have their children learn in those models.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced that the first case of the COVID-19 variant B.1.351 has been identified in a child in Jackson County. The health department did not say how the boy was infected but a case investigation is underway to determine close contacts and if there are additional cases associated. This new variant was originally detected in South Africa in October 2020 and shares some mutations with the B117 variant. From reporter Jason Colthorp:Two pieces of legislation passed last week offering additional funding for Michigan schools that provide at least 20 hours of in-person learning. Michigan has reported more than 2.6 million doses of the COVID-19 administered, as of Monday, with 20.9% total coverage in Michigan.

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Two pieces of legislation passed last week offering additional funding for Michigan schools that provide at least 20 hours of in-person learning. Gretchen Whitmer, but one school district is now trying to decide if it’s worth to re-route its current learning plan. The West Bloomfield School District is in hybrid learning and was planning to keep it until next year. READ: What to know as Detroit public schools resume in-person learningBut the potential loss of $1.2 million in additional funding forced the district’s Board of Education to discuss on Monday whether to increase in-person learning to 20 hours a week. We’re living with the reality of the Legislature being the Legislature,” Hill said.

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 Washtenaw County Health Department has announced that approximately 1,200 local teachers will get vaccinated against COVID-19 on Saturday. In partnership with Michigan Medicine and IHA, the Health Department is allotting this week’s vaccine supply from the state toward the effort as districts begin to reopen ahead of Gov. “Limited vaccine supplies continue to hamper our local efforts to reach everyone currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccination,” Jimena Loveluck, health officer for Washtenaw County Health Department said in a statement. The Board received substantial backlash over its decision at last week’s meeting to rush a vote on staying virtual. “We are grateful for their work with the Governor’s team to resolve the issues that delayed getting vaccines to K-12 staff across Washtenaw County compared to communities across the rest of the state.

ANN ARBOR – The Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education is expected to decide this week whether school remains remote for the rest of the year. Three Skyline High School seniors spoke to Local 4 about their hopes for an in-person option. “We’re one of two school districts in this state that don’t have some kind of hybrid option,” he said. All three students are hopeful the district will offer a hybrid in-person learning option and commit to a start date. READ: Ann Arbor students, parents rally at Skyline High School to demand return to hybrid learning

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.

FARMINGTON, Mich. – The superintendent of Farmington Public Schools as well as two members of the district’s Board of Education have resigned, citing allegations of harassment and “dysfunctional behavior.”According to a press release from the district, superintendent Bob Herrera’s resignation was announced in a board meeting Monday. The resignation comes after Herrera filed a complaint against board member Angie Smith for harassment. “Farmington Public Schools will continue to serve the students and families well in our community; the District has a strong leadership team that will continue to move the District forward.”The board voted to pass a resolution censuring Smith. At the end of the meeting, board member Pamela Green announced her resignation from her position as board president and board trustee, effective Nov. 20. Board vice president Terry Johnson also announced his resignation -- effective Nov. 21 -- with approximately 45 days left of his term.

FARMINGTON, Mich. – The Farmington Public Schools Board of Education voted on Tuesday for elementary schools to remain in remote learning until at least Jan. 11, 2021. Following the Guidance for In-Person Instruction, it says that Districts should consider remote instruction for the entire district. Disruption to FamiliesWe acknowledge the disruption of this constant move from in-person to remote instruction causes for families. “We know that other districts in Oakland County are struggling, as well, with the factors listed above.”Students in the Individualized Education Program will continue to follow the district’s recommendation and remain in remote learning. The district is still planning to have middle and high school school return to in-person learning on Jan. 25, 2021.

UTICA, Mich. – Utica Community Schools will be offering a remote classroom with the option to transition to in-person learning and a 100 percent online virtual academy. READ: More return to school coverageThe UCS Virtual Academy is a completely online program taught by UCS teachers. If a student in the virtual academy wants to return to the classroom, they will be assigned to the school in their attendance area. Class days at the virtual academy will follow traditional daily school schedules and calendar. Click here for more information about the virtual academy

WALLED LAKE, Mich. The Walled Lake Consolidated Schools district will begin the 2020-21 with remote learning only. The district said the Walled Lake Schools Board of Education voted on Tuesday at its special meeting to adopt the WLCSD Return to Learn Plan. The district will begin the 2020-21 school year online and conduct school with remote learning only until at least Friday, Oct. 30. More: Heres what Michigan school districts have planned for the fall amid the pandemicThis decision was not made lightly. After reviewing survey data from District parents, survey data from the WLCSD staff, and thousands of survey comments and emails, the Board of Education concluded it is in the best interest of the entire school community to start the school year virtually as to ensure the safety of everyone, reads a statement from the district. The district recently conducted a survey of parents with the following results:

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.

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. – Highland Park’s Board of Education approved the issuance of a proposal to build a new high school and create an adult education program. Through the request for proposals the board anticipates to see responses from various public school academy operators for a college preparatory high school. “The children of Highland Park deserve a high-quality education that prepares them for future success,” said Alexis Ramsey, board president in a statement. “Our community overwhelmingly supports our vision for the future of Highland Park schools and our children.”The adult education program is designed for those who wish to obtain their high school diploma and vocational certification training. This is one of many announcements made by Highland Park for economic and urban renewal.