Schools in the Michigan city of Ann Arbor were closed for the whole week of Thanksgiving in an effort to “interrupt” transmission of COVID-19 and provide staff time to recuperate from chronic staff shortages.

According to the district’s superintendent, Janice Swift, “we have experienced an unprecedented, widespread spike in student and staff/contractor cases” that affects nearly every school. There has been an uptick in pediatric hospitalizations that is approaching the pandemic peak, which is a cause for concern.

While noting that parents had only two days to plan ahead of time, “we take these school closure decisions very seriously,” she said. My apologies to any of our families who may have been inconvenienced by this last-minute notice. Prior to these days, we worked tirelessly to guarantee that we had exhausted all of our options to assure that our schools would remain open.”

Ann Arbor is far from alone in its struggle to cope with a growing caseload of COVID-19 cases, staff shortages and student and teacher mental health crises, despite most schools continuing to operate five days a week, in person.

According to Burbio, an organization that has been tracking school closures and the effect of the coronavirus on classroom learning, more than 2,298 schools were closed last week, up from just 413 closures the week prior to Thanksgiving.

Up until recently, outbreaks of COVID-19 were the primary cause of school closures this school year. Teachers’ and students’ stress levels are rising as a result of staffing shortages and burnout, which means that many school districts are reducing or eliminating scheduled vacation days altogether.

“A full two weeks of Winter Break to rest and recharge – physically, mentally, and emotionally,” Richmond, Virginia’s Superintendent Jason Kamras said in a letter to the school community last week, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

‘It’s been a difficult year,’ he admitted. This pandemic has had a significant impact on our students and staff, and the full extent of that impact is only now becoming apparent. Even if physical health has been our primary priority for the past two years, my primary worry today is the emotional and psychological well-being of everyone here.”

Recently, $3 million in federal coronavirus funds was moved to the school system in order to pay mental health support.

For the record, Kamras added, “Please know that I do not take this action lightly.” I feel we are in the midst of an emotional and mental health crisis that calls for a shift in how we approach the remainder of the year.

After an early dismissal day on Dec. 17, Worcester County Public Schools in Maryland announced a return to remote learning Dec. 20-22, with two additional early dismissal days scheduled for March 11 and May 6, respectively.

As the effects of the pandemic have lingered for over two years, an advisory emailed to families last week said, “This change is just one component of our comprehensive effort to address the well-being of our students and staff.” Students, teachers, and staff can’t learn well if they aren’t healthy in body and mind, and this is something we take very seriously at our school.

For three Fridays in December, the Detroit Public Schools Community District will use remote learning.

Since roughly 700 closures are planned for the next three weeks, Burbio is already keeping note of them.

Several school districts have proposed retention bonuses and other incentives to encourage personnel to stick it out through the holiday season in order to avoid closures and growing shortages. Staff in North Carolina’s three counties have the option of receiving bonuses ranging from $500 to $2,000.

Public health experts are on high alert following the discovery of omicron in South Africa last week, and school district administrators are preparing for its possible arrival in the United States.

As a “temporary” safety precaution, education officials in the United Kingdom, where instances have already been found in elementary schools, have “strongly advised” pupils and staff to return to wearing masks inside beginning Monday.

It is “inevitable” that a variation of Ebola will spread to the United States, President Joe Biden said on Monday, but the travel restrictions he implemented over the weekend should “give us time to take additional action.”

Biden reminded the public that, at this time last year, most schools were shuttered because of the virus, saying that the U.S. will combat it this winter “not with shut downs and lockdowns,” but with vaccinations and boosters.

However, he clarified that this is cause for alarm, not panic. “We’re finding out new things about this new variety all the time. Having vaccinated and getting a booster shot is the best way to protect yourself from this new strain.”