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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