(WXYZ) — After weeks of controversy, the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education has approved a resignation agreement with the district’s Superintendent.
Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift’s resignation deal was approved by a 5-to-2 vote during a meeting Wednesday night.
Ann Arbor Schools has been under scrutiny since for weeks, after the 7 Investigators exposed video of a school bus aide assaulting a special needs second grader. The assault occurred in December of 2021, but the child’s mother says she wasn’t told about her autistic son being repeatedly slapped while he was in an illegally used restraint harness for 5 weeks.
“Our job is to protect our kids. And the school didn't give me that chance because they hid it from me,” Jaime Nelson, the boy’s mother, told 7 Investigator Heather Catallo.
After the bus aide, 48-year-old Rochanda Jefferson, was convicted of 4th degree child abuse over the summer, Nelson filed a lawsuit against the school district, the Carpenter Elementary School Principal and the bus transportation company. Weeks after our story aired, the district put the principal on leave.
Nelson says she later learned that several special education students on the bus told their teachers and social workers at the school right away about the assault, yet Nelson says nothing was done after that was reported to the school principal the day after the assault. According to the lawsuit, no one at Ann Arbor Public Schools alerted Child Protective Services even though they are legally required to do so.
On January 18, 2021, the boy’s teacher emailed the principal and other AAPS officials saying “I am very concerned about this situation and the safety of our students… I haven’t received an update on the allegations that were shared. I am concerned that I am going to lose all credibility with mom when she finds out I knew about these allegations and didn’t tell her. I don’t feel comfortable keeping this from mom.”
After the 7 Investigators first aired this story in late July, a group of nearly 100 Ann Arbor parents signed a letter calling on Dr. Swift to resign.
The letter stated that “many of our special education families have not felt safe in our district for some time.” The letter also references allegations of “a racially hostile environment in our schools” and concerns about “an overall lack of leadership in addressing antisemitic incidents.”
At a special meeting in August, the school board voted to send the superintendent a pre-termination notice that’s required by her contract. They also voted to allow their attorney to enter into negotiations for a separation agreement with Dr. Swift.
“Based on the concerns, based on what I’ve heard, there should be a change in leadership,” said AAPS board president Rima Mohammad at that meeting.
On Wednesday night, the board approved the resignation agreement with Dr. Swift. According to the agreement, Swift will continue to work as superintendent until the board appoints an interim or permanent superintendent no later than October 31st. After that, Swift will serve as a “transition advisor” until December 31st. The timeline can be extended with a written agreement of all parties.
The board issued the following statement after the meeting:
"The Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift have reached a voluntary separation agreement. We would like to thank Dr. Swift for her work in leading the Ann Arbor Public Schools since 2013 and we look forward to working together as we transition to a change in the leadership of the district. The Board is grateful for Dr Swift’s time and dedication to the Ann Arbor Public Schools and we wish her the best."
The last several weeks have been filled with turmoil in the Ann Arbor school district with the teachers and administrators’ unions and some former board trustees trying to keep Dr. Swift in place. Some current board trustees alleged they were being pressured and targeted by former trustees as the political drama swirled.
The 7 Investigators revealed text messages that were shared between a group of former trustees who were actively working to keep Dr. Swift in place.
The text, provided by sources, outlined their strategy to allege the current board was violating the Open Meetings Act so they could slow “down the process” to “increase the odds that [Board Trustee] Jacinda [Townend Gides] resigns before the final vote on termination” and “keep trustees in a high state of stress for a longer period of time.”
“Not one of them has mentioned wanting to help students,” Gides said of the texted strategy from former trustees. “We're elected to help children, were elected to deliver education. We're elected to think of better ways to deliver that education. We're not elected to harass and intimidate each other.”
Also on Wednesday, the former bus aide was sentenced to 30 days in jail, five years of probation, and 100 hours of community service for assaulting the child.
Judge J. Cedric Simpson doubled her jail time and community service after Jefferson showed no remorse in court.
“You have no understanding for what you’ve done,” said Judge Simpson. “What you did to that child that day – what you did to someone’s baby that day – in my mind is inexcusable. Any harm that any jail time imposed on you causes doesn’t even compare to the harm you caused that child that day.”
If you have a story for Heather Catallo, please email her at hcatallo@wxyz.com