Board of Education Memo - fargo.k12.nd.us
Transcript of Board of Education Memo - fargo.k12.nd.us
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FARGO BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMO #21 – 2021-22
August 10, 2021
RE: 2021-22 COVID-19 Mitigation Procedures
FROM: Dr. Rupak Gandhi, FPS Superintendent
BOARD FOCUS: Discussion and Possible Action
Per the guidance and requirements from the state of North Dakota, as communicated by
Governor Burgum and State Superintendent Baesler on July 14, 2020, all North Dakota school
districts were required to develop a plan for the 2020-21 school year due to the worldwide
pandemic of COVID-19. Plans were required to include a health and safety plan and a distance
learning plan. These plans required approval by the local School Board prior to the beginning of
the classes with students.
The Fargo Board of Education approved the 2020-2021 FPS Smart Restart Plan at a special
Board Meeting on July 30, 2020. This plan included several mitigation strategies to ensure the
safety of all students and staff members. Throughout the year, more information was learned
about COVID-19, its transmission rate, and the effectiveness of various mitigation strategies.
Prior to the end of 2020-2021 school year, vaccines were readily available to adults in Cass
County. Based on the information available at that time and with support from Fargo Cass Public
Health, administration requested that the Board of Education suspend the FPS Smart Restart
Plan.
At the May 11, 2021 regular meeting, the Fargo Board of Education approved suspending the
FPS Smart Restart Plan for the 2020-21 school year effective June 7, 2021. At that time,
administration communicated to the Board that the recommendation to suspend the plan came
with an understanding that changes in information or data regarding COVID-19 might require
revisiting mitigation strategies prior to the start of the 2021-22 school year. Additionally, at that
time, administration informed the Board that if circumstances arise and lead to recommendations
for mitigation strategies for the 2021-2022 school year, administration will notify the Board and
seek approval.
On Thursday, July 29, 2021, members of the Fargo Public Schools administrative team met with
representatives from Fargo Cass Public Health and the North Dakota Department of Health to
discuss a new variant of COVID-19 and the possible need for mitigation strategies during the
2021-22 school year. On Tuesday, August 3, Fargo Cass Public Health issued a letter to all Cass
County K-12 superintendents sharing information on COVID-19 and the delta variant, CDC
recommendations, and recommendations for post-exposure guidelines. Additionally, they
provided an information document titled “Keeping Kids Safe.” The letter and information
document are attached to this memo.
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As evident in prior Board conversations, media reports, and stakeholder feedback, the
requirement to implement these recommended mitigation strategies, specifically masks, has risen
to level of a controversy. Some tenets being debated about requiring masks as a mitigation
strategy in K-12 schools include but are not limited to the following:
• Who has the authority to require or enforce this mitigation strategy?
• Efficacy of masks as a mitigation strategy (risk/reward of masks versus transmission rate
among students)
• Are masks a medical device? Should the requirement to wear masks be a parent decision
(medical) or a public health decision?
• Transmission rates in schools
• COVID-19 impact on youth
Due to the controversial nature of the recommended mitigation strategies and high level of
engagement from stakeholders, administration seeks direction from the Board to determine
whether to adopt the recommended guidelines provided by Fargo Cass Public Health.
RECOMMENDATION: that the Board of Education approve implementing mitigation
strategies recommended by Fargo Cass Public Health for the 2021-22 school year.
August 3, 2021
Dear Superintendent,
Fargo Cass Public Health (FCPH) would like to provide the following guidance for all schools within Cass
County. It is our goal to provide objective, evidence-based recommendations. These recommendations
will be based on current available science, in an ever-changing landscape during the pandemic. Please
know this guidance can change rapidly, as more up to date and research driven data becomes readily
available.
While, early in the pandemic, epidemiologic data showed children less likely to be infected and more
likely to experience milder infections, as vaccines became available a shift surfaced. Viral spread in the
US is now predominantly among the unvaccinated, the largest population of which are children under
12, not yet eligible for vaccination. In past recent weeks, children have made up a higher proportion of
overall infection and we expect this trend to continue. We also know that children can experience
serious and long-term health consequences, such as lung problems, brain fog and MIS-C.
Further, there is new science emerging regarding the B.1617.2 (Delta) variant and it’s concerning
increased infectivity and transmissibility. There is now new evidence that some vaccinated individuals
carry similar viral loads of the delta variant as the unvaccinated. In some cases, this has led to spreading
of the virus by vaccinated people as well as (rare) breakthrough infections. Severe illness,
hospitalization, and death remain much less likely in immunized individuals.
As such, FCPH echoes guidance released by The Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of
Pediatrics, and other major medical organizations regarding safely returning to school. This guidance,
first and foremost, stresses the importance of all children returning to in-person education. It also
encourages continued use of a layered approach to mitigation strategies to ensure student and staff
safety. The most important of which is vaccination, the leading public health prevention strategy to end
the COVID-19 pandemic.
CDC also recommends:
• Screening, testing, ventilation, proper handwashing, and respiratory etiquette.
• Students, teachers, and staff should stay home when experiencing ill symptoms and get tested.
They should also contact trace, isolate, and quarantine, accordingly, as advised by local public
health agencies.
• Universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to buildings, regardless of
vaccinations status or community transmission rates.
• Maintaining 3 feet of physical distance between students, to the best of their ability. The
inability to do this should not prohibit schools from re-opening.
A further note on masking, as pointed out by the American Academy of Pediatrics:
• A significant portion of the students are not eligible for vaccination as the vaccine is currently
only available to those who are 12 and older.
• Lack of a system to monitor vaccine status amount students and staff.
• Potential difficulty in monitoring or enforcing mask policies for those who are not vaccinated. In
the absence of schools being able to conduct such monitoring, universal masking is the most
effective strategy to create consistency in messaging, expectations, and enforcement.
• Continued concerns for variants that spread more easily among children and adults.
• Added benefit of protection for students against other respiratory illnesses that would keep
them out of school.
Per direction of the North Dakota Department of Health, the following post-exposure guidelines are
recommended:
Mask to mask exposure: exemption to quarantine.
Fully vaccinated contacts: if no symptoms, no quarantine. Should monitor for symptoms and
encouraged to test at 3-5 days and consider masking in interim.
Unmasked contacts (both parties need to be masked): 14 day quarantine. Contacts may release from
quarantine after day 10 if no symptoms or after day 7 with a negative test collected on day 5 or later.
Thank you,
Fargo Cass Public Health