Jackson schools online in grade 5-12 until January

JACKSON, MI — Jackson Public Schools says it will suspend in-person learning for grades 5-12 until after the first of the year.

According to a Facebook post from the school’s Superintendent Jeff Beal, the decision came in response to rapidly rising COVID-19 infections in the area. The City of Jackson documented both the largest increase in coronavirus cases and the most COVID-19 cases documented in the county overall at 717 as of November 17th.

Here is Beal’s statement: “This news prompted me to reach out to our Jackson County Health Department (JCHD) for clarification and I have been informed that this is accurate information. The JCHD has seen an increase in positive cases and testing needs in Jackson. So what does this mean for JPS? A question I ask myself daily.

I had sincerely hoped that we would be able to return to our Hybrid in-person learning plan on Monday, November 30th for our K-8 students and enjoy a few weeks of much needed in-person activities for both our staff and students. However, the numbers and information regarding COVID-19 cannot simply be pushed aside.

I am making the decision to once again suspend in-person at JPS for all grades (Y5-12) until we return from Christmas Break. This means that students and staff will continue to work online until we return for Cohort A on Monday, January 11, 2021, and for Cohort B on Thursday, January 14, 2021.”