Saline Area Schools Temporarily Returns to Hybrid Model at the High School, Continues Athletics

In-person learning at Saline High School is being scaled back to the two-day-a-week hybrid model and school sports will continue at Saline Area Schools.

Interim Superintendent Steve Laatsch made the announcement via email after consulting other superintendents in Washtenaw County after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recommended high schools teach remotely and youth sports be postponed for two weeks as a result of the spring COVID-19 wave.

State-wide, cases and hospitalizations continue to rise as the vaccination efforts continue.

Here's the plan at Saline Area Schools:

• Saline High School students who chose in-person learning will drop back to the hybrid, two-day-a-week model next week. Laatsch noted next week's schedule was going to be altered because of testing anyway.
• South and West Washtenaw Consortium will continue as scheduled.
• Young-5s through eighth grade and Saline Alternative High School students will continue as planned.
• Students choosing 100 percent virtual will continue in that model.
• Athletics for all age groups continue.

Laatsch said local Washtenaw superintendents heard Whitmer's call, but they also have their own data to consider. 

For one, the situation in Washtenaw, while worsening, is not as bad as it is elsewhere in the state. The positivity rate in Michigan has been above 17 percent in four of the last six days. In Washtenaw, the positivity rate is rising, but is considerably lower, in the neighborhood of 10 percent

In addition, the district has not seen spread in the school buildings.

"We don't have evidence to suggest that school spread in COVID-19 cases will occur even with rising numbers. We haven't seen this yet and we have tracked months of data with our close contacts. This is also very consistent with reports from the CDC that schools are not places where a lot of spread is occurring," Laatsch wrote. "Yet, with the increased COVID-19 activity in our community, we are watching this closely."

The Saline Athletics Department recently tested 570 students with a single positive case, Laatsch said. Overall, Laatsch wrote, the department has conducted more than 1,000 tests on student-athletes, with were fewer than one percent testing positive.

While the district plans to press on, Laatsch acknowledged the challenges.

"The level of quarantining that may occur as a result of this additional in-person instruction will likely increase," Laatsch said.

The threshold for quarantining in lower grades (Y5-1) will be lower because those students have more difficulty with social distancing, Laatsch wrote.

Laatsch called on parents and students to continue safe practices to the keep the school safe. Those practices include social distancing and mask-wearing in social settings, and keeping sick children home.

Laatsch said district's COVODI-19

Below is Laatsch's letter to the community.

SAS Community,

It was great to welcome back all our students, both those choosing in-person and remote instructional opportunities, to school following spring break!

However, conditions across the state of Michigan continue to evolve related to COVID-19 cases. Today, at 10 a.m., Governor Whitmer announced two voluntary recommendations. First, that high schools voluntarily move to remote learning for two weeks, and second, that youth sports voluntarily suspend practices and games for two weeks.

Obviously, the term “voluntary” puts school districts across Michigan in a very difficult position as they try to weigh what is best for their own community. SAS representatives have been meeting throughout the day and have been in consultation with other Washtenaw County superintendents.

As it relates to Saline High School, we have seen a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases this past week. Our school nurses have done an excellent job investigating positive COVID-19 cases and identifying and communicating with close contacts. This is resulting in increased quarantining.

In terms of athletics, we conducted over 1,000 tests of our student-athletes this week, with fewer than 1% testing positive.

Based on the recommendations from the Governor, we are going to slightly scale back the full in-person instructional model (at Saline High School) and follow the schedule below for next week (Monday, April 12th - Friday, April 16th):

• At the 9th-12th grade level, students at Saline High School will drop back into the hybrid instructional model next week.

• Please look for additional information from Principal David Raft, as this week was already going to be altered because of student testing.
• For those students who receive special education services, please reach out to your case manager or Director Molly Garcia if you have any questions.

• SWWC programs will be in session as scheduled next week. All students will meet each day. It is recognized that 11th grade students may not be in attendance Tuesday and Wednesday due to testing.
• Y5-8th grade students as well as Saline Alternative High School students will continue to operate in full in-person instruction for those families who have selected this option.
• Fully virtual students will continue in their selected learning model.
• Athletics for all age groups will continue.

SAS will continue assessing the current COVID-19 climate each week. Please look for additional communication next Friday, April 16th for guidance going forward. We understand and empathize with families, as we know this complicates schedules and family logistics. However, this is what is warranted under these conditions and frequently changing recommendations from the CDC, Washtenaw County Health Department and the Governor’s office.

In this communication, I am including an updated joint message that school districts in Washtenaw County have crafted in conjunction with the WISD and the Washtenaw County Health Department regarding safe operating school procedures during this pandemic. Please click HERE to read this message.

I am also adding some additional notes below:

Moving Forward with More In-Person Instruction / Increased Quarantining

Moving forward with more in-person instruction in a time where COVID-19 cases are rising still means that we can operate our schools safely. However, the level of quarantining that may occur as a result of this additional in-person instruction will likely increase. When a student tests positive for COVID-19, our school/district nurses begin the contact tracing process. For our youngest learners (Y5, Kindergarten and 1st Grade) the Washtenaw County Health Department has deemed that students that are this young have a lot more trouble social distancing and therefore quarantining the full class of students based on an infection is appropriate in some cases. At grades 2nd and above, all contact tracing rules will be applied to determine all close contacts of those students who have been in contact with an infected individual within 6 feet for 15 minutes of time (cumulative) or more.

Quarantining FAQ

Little Evidence of In-School Spread

We don't have evidence to suggest that school spread in COVID-19 cases will occur even with rising numbers. We haven't seen this yet and we have tracked months of data with our close contacts. This is also very consistent with reports from the CDC that schools are not places where a lot of spread is occurring. Yet, with the increased COVID-19 activity in our community, we are watching this closely.

Community Support with Mitigation Strategies

Even though we have experienced no spread of COVID-19 transmission in our classrooms over the past 13 months, we know students are contracting COVID-19 in the community. This is why your partnership is so important to us. When students are away from school, please continue the following practices:

• Please make a very concerted effort to practice mitigation efforts when your kids are engaging with other households, socializing in the community, participating in athletics, etc.

• As you have consistently been doing all year, please do not send your children to school if they have any symptoms of illness.

Vaccination Efforts and COVID-19 Testing

Of note, there is a significant effort going on now to get youth 16 years and older vaccinated. In the joint letter listed above, there is more information on how to get appointments scheduled for this age group of students.

In addition, for those of you looking for COVID-19 testing centers, click HERE for locations in the Ann Arbor region. Again, athletes, ages 13 and up, will be tested in our schools on a weekly basis.

I am confident that we can continue to be successful with our instructional models (both in-person and remote) if we all do our part to curb the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

Thank you,

Stephen D. Laatsch, PhD

Interim Superintendent

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