GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Grand Rapids Public Schools is not requiring masks for students and staff for the start of the 2021 school year.
The district sent a letter to parents and students on Wednesday stating that masks are "strongly recommended regardless of vaccination status but not required."
"All unvaccinated students and staff who are eligible are strongly encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccination," the district said in the letter.
The district said the decision was made based on the recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Kent County Health Department.
Here is a list of the full guidelines provided by the district for students this fall:
- Universal indoor masking for all students, staff, and visitors to PK-12 schools is strongly recommended, regardless of vaccination status.
- All unvaccinated students and staff who are eligible are strongly encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact KCHD or your health care provider to schedule your vaccination.
- Masks do not need to be worn outdoors for recess or outdoor learning activities for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status.
- Athletics will continue to adhere to the rules set forth by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and guidance from the MDHHS and KCHD.
- Layered mitigation strategies will continue, including handwashing and respiratory etiquette, hand sanitizer, ventilation, and cleaning of classrooms and buildings.
- The COVID-19 Daily Health Screener is no longer required for students and staff. Students and staff should stay home if they are experiencing one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms.
- Families and staff will continue to be notified if they or their student has had close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual. Quarantine will only be required if unvaccinated students or staff live with a COVID-19 positive person OR if there is an outbreak in a school per the KCHD public health order still in place.
- All students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 regardless of vaccination status must quarantine.
According to GRPS spokesperson, John Helmholdt, the mask recommendation will not be policed. He also emphasized this recommendation is subject to change at any time.
"This will be an ever flowing situation," said Helmholdt. "I mean, it really is going to be on a case-by-case, we're going to monitor this on a daily basis, school-by-school district wide. If we need to be more stringent in our going from a recommendation to a requirement, we can make that pivot."
Helmholdt said not only is GRPS taking up these recommendations, but so are all the districts in the Kent Intermediate School District (KISD).
The first day of school is Tuesday, August 24. It will also mark the return for GRPS students to five days a week in the classroom since the start of the pandemic. Last year, students were still operating on a hybrid model with mask mandates.
"We only had three cases total [last year] that were a school related spread," said Helmholdt. "That is a good sign that demonstrates that. Now, granted, we were implementing more stringent mitigation measures like hybrid. So, you had about 50% of capacity. But if you look at the other school districts that that were not hybrid, that were 100% in person, and in most cases not requiring masks. There was relatively limited school may spread. And so, we acknowledge there's a new variant, but again, we're going to continue to follow the data and the guidance from our health officials, and we're going to do everything to ensure our students and staff are safe, and healthy. If we have to pivot, we will. But this is just based on the latest guidance. We know full well that if things start to tick up as we anticipate, there may be more or different guidance, and or there may be epidemic orders."
GRPS said the guidelines may change if the COVID-19 case count increases.
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