Saline Parents Petition for Full-Time, In-Person Education; School Officials Call for Vaccinations for Employees

Hundreds of people have signed a petition calling for Saline Area Schools to resume full-time, in-class instruction within the school district. At the same time, Saline Area Schools officials are joining county peers in the call for prioritizing educators for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Saline Area Schools haven't had full-time, in-class instruction since March 13, when former Superintendent Scot Graden announced the pause. Gov. Whitmer then closed schools for the rest of the 2019-20 calendar. Saline Area Schools announced a two-track return in the fall of 2020. About a third of students were to return virtually. About two-thirds of the students were to return to in-class instruction, starting with a hybrid two-day-a-week schedule.

But the COVID-19 metrics soon took a turn for the worse, and instead of a return to more in-class instruction, all in-class instruction was paused in November. Two-day-a-week instruction resumed in January. 

Now, with COVID-19 metrics improving, many parents want their kids back in class, full-time. 679 people have signed the Change.org petition started by Danielle Gillespie, a mother of two students in the district and an emergency room nurse. Gillespie declined an interview with The Saline Post. Gillespie said she's seen more psych issues than COVID-19 issues in her ER.

"The straw that broke the camel’s back was a 14-year-old suicide attempt," Gillespie wrote in an email. "We need to stand up for these kids and their mental health. I’m just doing what nurses do best - advocate for our patients."

Many Saline parents agree with Gillespie.

Jennifer Scarpati said the kids have suffered enough. She said her daughter is a busy girl who has several job, coaches Girls on the Run, plays lacrosse and field hockey.

"This most recent shut down crushed her. We have to start getting kids back to normal," Scarpati said. "We have kids who've been doing everything right and they're losing out."

Heidi Wuerthele, a former school teacher, teaches kids at her dance school in Milan. She thinks teaching can be done safely in school.

"We pushed through. We followed the protocols and wore masks and we didn't have a single problem," Wuerthele said.

Saline is a fairly wealthy community and she wonders if some of the kids of less wealthy families are being left behind.

"If you have a mom or dad who can stay home and provide help and support, that's a blessing. For the kids who don't, whose parents have to work five days a week, that's probably a struggle," Wuerthele said.

The petition has opposition, too. Tiffanie Alexander said forcing teachers back into the classroom could create a negative atmosphere in the district.

"My concern is that it could result in forcing the hand of administrators to force teachers back in the building. I'm not suggesting they would fire teachers, but it could create an uneasy relationship, and it could negatively impact the relationships of parents and teachers," Alexander said.

Alexander said suggested teachers be surveyed to see if enough want to return to work.

"If enough want to come back, then if we don't see a wave in late March, and the numbers continue to go down, I don't see a reason to be against it, assuming they can still maintain proper social distancing," Alexander said.

Scott Brodie said he's opposed to schools opening until staff are vaccinated.

"I know what the CDC says, that it’s safe and rare for staff to become infected with COVID," Brodie said.  "I just ask one question of those who want to open before staff gets their shots. Which teacher are you willing to lose? Rare does not mean won’t happen."

For months, since announcing the Return to Learn initiative, the district has been using a series of metrics to guide decision-making. The district is nearing a lot of the goals initially set.  One of those goals was a positive test rate of under 3 percent. The district has been under 3 percent for 9 of the last 10 days. Quarantines and positives within the district are falling as well.

But with the vaccination effort underway, there's a new metric dominating the discussion. It comes from a Michigan Education Association survey of educators that showed Washtenaw County has the lowest percentage of vaccinated teachers in the state. Only 25.6 percent of the county's teachers were vaccinated or scheduled to be vaccinated, according to the survey conducted by the MEA Feb. 2-8. Some counties had almost 90 percent of staff vaccinated, and a vast majority had more than 50 percent vaccinated. Washtenaw has so many health care workers that it has had fewer vaccinations left for educators.

The Washtenaw Superintendents' Association issued a statement calling for  additional vaccine supplies for educators in Washtenaw County.

"The WSA believes that, in a community that deeply values education, the breakdown in coordination between the federal, state, and local vaccination rollouts at the local levels is alarming. While we are deeply appreciative of the consistent partnership and direct collaboration with the Washtenaw County Health Department since this pandemic began in March 2020, we recognize that the lack of collaboration and transparency across all levels of decision-making has caused delays, inconsistencies, and inequitable access to vaccinations for educators," the statement from the WSA read.

The WSA called on federal, state and local leaders to prioritize resources for vaccinations of school employees, among other things.

School Board President Jennifer Steben took to Twitter to press the Washtenaw County Health Department.

Tuesday, the Washtenaw County Health Department announced it was continuing to vaccinate school employees as fast as vaccine supplies allow.

This week the health department working with Michigan Medicine and IHA to vaccinate approximately 1,200 elementary school educators on Sat, Feb 27.

“Limited vaccine supplies continue to hamper our local efforts to reach everyone currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccination,” said Jimena Loveluck, MSW, health officer for Washtenaw County Health Department. “This week, we’re grateful to have enough doses available to team up with Michigan Medicine and IHA to offer vaccination to our early elementary educators as efficiently as possible.”

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