More than 1,400 Dearborn Public School staff were able to get their first COVID vaccination shot on February 11 and 12 at one of two locations.
Depending on which vaccination they received, all those staff will need their second shot either three or four weeks after the first dose. Realizing that scheduling the second dose of the vaccine will lead to staff shortages, the district is being proactive and planning four online learning days.
The first two Thursdays and Fridays in March (March 4, 5, 11, and 12) will now be remote learning days where students remain at home.
Students should still expect to have mostly live instruction over those four days. Teachers will provide more specific information about their classes closer to that time. Students will still be expected to log into Schoology each of those four days and attend classes and complete assigned work.
The Mondays and Tuesdays of both those weeks will still be hybrid with some students in school. Wednesdays were already scheduled to be remote learning days.
Hybrid learning will still start on March 1 for students in kindergarten, first, second, sixth and ninth grades. On March 8th students in preschool, third, fourth, fifth, seventh and 10th grades will start hybrid learning. Grades eight, 11 and 12 will return for hybrid learning on March 15.
The first two weeks of hybrid learning, students will attend face-to-face class one day that week, either Monday or Tuesday depending on if they are group A or B. Their second day that week now will be replaced by remote learning.
Superintendent Glenn Maleyko announced earlier that the district would likely need to add some remote learning days after the district found out we would be able to mass vaccinate willing staff over two days.
“We appreciate the community’s patience as we work to keep staff, students and families as safe as we can in the current environment,” Dr. Maleyko said. “Learning remotely for these additional days will provide more continuity to students and allow teachers to work around the vaccination schedule.”
“Please know that even after staff are vaccinated, they will continue to follow CDC guidelines including wearing masks in schools, and we will encourage our community to continue to use social distancing and to #MaskUpDearborn until the country is able to get COVID under control,” Dr. Maleyko added.