Current Mitigation Level: Moderate

Updated 8/19/2021

Dear FEAS Families, Students, and Community:

Over the summer, FEAS administration has had many discussions about our return to school in the fall. Our priorities are safety and welfare of students and staff, and providing face-to-face instruction for students with the greatest amount of normalcy in the buildings and in activities for students.

Since March 2020, FEAS administrators have followed the guidance and recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Michigan Department of Health and Human Service (MDHHS) and Benzie-Leelanau Health Department (BLHD). We have participated in bi-weekly meetings with school leaders and the Health Department of West Michigan (HDWM).

At the Special Board of Education meeting on Monday, August 16, the following guidelines were approved to guide FEAS for the 2021-2022 school year. These guidelines are in place at this time, but could be subject to change as conditions and/or guidance changes.

• Our priority is to maintain in-person instruction for all students for the 2021-2022 school year.

• Masks will be properly worn by all individuals in all indoor spaces following Health Department recommendations during the school day, and students under 11 attending athletics and events after school.

• Masks will be available in each building, although students are welcome to bring and wear appropriate masks of their choosing as long as it covers the nose and mouth.

• Masks will be required on school buses per federal requirements.

• FEAS student/staff spectators at indoor events will be required to wear masks at indoor athletic events.

• Masks will be highly recommended for all participants and spectators at FEAS indoor sporting events from visiting schools and FEAS community members.

• Cohorting and physical distancing efforts will be practiced where appropriate, but cohorts will not be strictly enforced for the 2021-2022 school year unless we are in the high risk level.

• Building cleaning protocols will be continued, handwashing will be encouraged, and hand sanitizer will be available in all buildings in multiple locations.

• Contact tracing, outreach to close contacts, reporting of cases, and quarantining guidelines will continue to be practiced as outlined by the BLHD.

• Masking in the classroom significantly reduces the need for most quarantines, allowing students to attend school and participate in extracurricular- activities.

• Fresh air exchange systems are present in both buildings.

The outcome the administrative team seeks is to have the most “normal” of school years. We strongly believe, and our ideas are supported by the medical community, that masking and the other mitigation protocols will help us to return to as nearly routine as possible for the school year. We believe that masking will provide the safety needed to consistently have students with peers and teachers in classrooms, with the flexibility to have student activities return to their pre-pandemic levels. We will continue to make every effort to ensure a healthy, safe, and productive learning environment for all of our students. Thank you for your continued support during this difficult time.

Per the chart on our district website, we will begin school in MODERATE.

Jeff Tousley, FEAS Superintendent