Michigan Schools Taking Thanksgiving Week Off As COVID Cases Rise

(CBS Detroit/AP) -- Several school districts in Michigan have pulled the plug on classes the entire week due to the massive COVID surge seen across the state.

Detroit, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti school districts are the largest to cut classes, instead opting for a longer holiday break.

In northern Michigan, Kingsley, Elk Rapids and Kalkaska schools added Monday and Tuesday to the holiday break, The Record-Eagle reported.

Additionally, the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) also announced that it would be shifting to remote learning on Fridays in December due to the rise in COVID cases.

In a special announcement on the district's website, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the decision was made "after listening and reflecting on the concerns of school-based leaders, teachers, support staff, students, and families regarding the need for mental health relief, rising COVID cases, and time to more thoroughly clean schools."

This comes a week after the latest COVID Data Tracker from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Michigan leading the nation in COVID cases with 503.8 per 100,000.

The state also hit a seven-month high of hospitalizations tied to the virus last week, with more than 3,000 people currently occupying a bed.

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