Where Michigan school districts stand on 2022-23 COVID protocols

Masks, COVID exams and quarantines are going out of fashion this back-to-school season. 

The federal Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention has loosened its COVID pointers for Okay-12 colleges simply in time for the beginning of faculty in Michigan. However many Michigan districts have been already taking steps towards the way in which issues have been earlier than the pandemic. 

This faculty yr, many districts will abandon masking necessities, routine COVID testing for asymptomatic folks, and quarantine necessities for folks uncovered to COVID. Many districts may even undertake shortened quarantine and isolation intervals for individuals who take a look at optimistic for COVID. 

Michigan’s districts have had a patchwork of COVID pointers since June 2021, when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lifted the statewide masks mandate. This marks the second faculty yr that COVID protocols have been left to the discretion of native districts. 

Michigan has recorded over 2.7 million COVID instances and over 37,000 COVID-related deaths because the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. 

Right here’s a take a look at how some districts within the state are imposing or loosening their COVID protocols: 

Will masks be required in colleges?

Michigan joins a nationwide shift away from masks necessities in colleges. Final yr, 75% of U.S. colleges enforced mask-wearing for academics and college students initially of the varsity yr. That quantity has dwindled significantly. 

Many districts throughout the state are selling the identical message: Masks usually are not required, however college students and employees who select to put on them will probably be totally supported.

Main districts like Grand Rapids Public Faculties, Detroit Public Faculties Neighborhood District, Dearborn Public Faculties, and Lansing College District have all informed households masks is not going to be required in the course of the 2022-23 faculty yr. 

Nonetheless, many districts have outlined some exceptions, requiring mask-wearing for folks residing with somebody who’s COVID-positive, those that have a confirmed publicity to somebody COVID-positive, and for these experiencing COVID signs. 

Ann Arbor Public Faculties would require masks indoors provided that Washtenaw County is rated “excessive” underneath the CDC’s neighborhood stage classification system for COVID severity. In any other case, masks will stay non-obligatory. Washtenaw County is at the moment rated on the “medium” stage. 

Flint Neighborhood Faculties has additionally adopted a barely completely different masking coverage. In a letter to Flint households on July 21, Superintendent Kevelin Jones mentioned that masks is not going to be required however “really helpful” for the 2022-23 faculty yr, which began Aug. 3. 

The district additionally issued an up to date protocols information on July 14 that claims masks will probably be required on faculty buses “because of the closeness and mixing of scholars inside the buses.” 

Will social distancing be enforced in school rooms?

Some districts, together with Flint and Lansing, are selling social distancing of their school rooms this fall.

Flint’s up to date information encourages employees to assist social distancing amongst college students “as a lot as doable,” however doesn’t specify a distance. Lansing recommends that college students and employees preserve 3 to six ft of distance from each other when doable. 

What about routine testing?

A variety of districts, together with Detroit, Dearborn, Flint, and Lansing, don’t plan to implement routine testing for people who find themselves asymptomatic or had shut contacts with contaminated folks. Many colleges deserted such exams in the course of the winter’s omicron variant surge due to the stress it placed on assets and employees. 

However districts will nonetheless have voluntary fast exams out there in home for college students experiencing COVID signs at school. 

How lengthy do COVID-positive college students and employees must quarantine?

The CDC new steerage says quarantining is not really helpful for college students and employees who’re merely uncovered to COVID however haven’t examined optimistic. They’re inspired to put on a masks for 10 days — a suggestion that many districts, together with Dearborn, are adopting for the upcoming faculty yr.

For individuals who take a look at optimistic, many districts, together with Grand Rapids, Dearborn, Royal Oak, Lansing, and Kalamazoo, have adopted the CDC’s shortened quarantine pointers. Which means having COVID-positive people isolate at dwelling for 5 days and return on Day 6, if they continue to be masked till Day 10 and are fever-free for no less than 24 hours. Those that refuse to put on a masks for days 6 to 10 will probably be unable to return to high school and have to remain dwelling for the complete 10 days. 

Grace Tucker is a reporting intern at Chalkbeat Detroit. Attain her at gtucker@chalkbeat.org.