Students will be staying home next week for district cleaning

As Covid cases surge in Michigan and the metro area, the Hamtramck Public Schools will close their buildings next week for a thorough cleaning and sanitizing. File photo

By Charles Sercombe
It’s back to at-home virtual learning for Hamtramck Public School students, starting next Monday (Nov. 22).
But it’s only for Monday through Wednesday during the holiday week. Students will still have Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) and Friday off because that was already scheduled as a break in classes,
In-classroom learning will return on Monday, Nov. 29.
Interim Superintendent Nabil Nagi made that announcement on the district’s Facebook page.
Also, Wednesday’s school day will only be a half day, as previously scheduled.
Nagi said keeping students at home will allow the district to “conduct cleaning and sanitation procedures that will include detailing throughout our buildings, as we continue to prioritize the physical and mental health and safety of our school community.”
Nagi added: “Regular cleaning and disinfecting continues to be a priority for the district, and the holiday week offers the district an opportunity to conduct a more-thorough cleaning of our facilities.”
(You can read the full letter on page 3 in the School Bell column.)
The announcement comes at a time when some school districts have experienced a spike in COVID-19 cases, forcing those districts to return to at-home teaching.
According to a recent report on Covid cases in the district, Hamtramck High School has had 14 cases, which includes both staff and students.
The next highest number of cases is at Dickinson East Elementary School, which had eight.
Dickinson West Elementary School also had 8 cases; Kosciuszko Middle School, six; Early Childhood Elementary School, four; Holbrook and Tau Beat two each.
The district contacts the Wayne County Health Department whenever a new case is reported, which then contacts those who may have been around the infected person.
District teachers also perform some contact tracing.
The district requires all students and staff to wear masks while in school buildings.
According to statistics provided by Wayne County health officials, only 53 percent of the county’s population is vaccinated. Children as young as 5 are now able to get vaccinated.
Michigan is experiencing another wave of Covid cases, and even some people who have been vaccinated are becoming infected, although they often experience milder symptoms.
Michigan recorded 21,034 Covid cases in a three-day period earlier this week. There were also 95 deaths during that time.
The percentage of state residents who have been vaccinated is now at 70 percent.
Overall, Michigan has had over 1.2 million Covid cases since March 2020, and 22,862 deaths have resulted from the disease.
Hamtramck has recorded 3,288 cases, with 58 deaths, during the past two years. That number of cases represents about 10 percent of the city’s population.
Posted Nov. 19, 2021