Alpena Public Schools withdraws mask mandate
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ALPENA -- Beginning today, Alpena students may attend school without face masks, Alpena Public Schools officials announced on Wednesday.
The decision came hours after the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services withdrew its recommendation of universal masking in public places, including school settings.
Students must still wear face masks on buses, as required by the Federal Transit Administration, APS officials said.
Citing declining reported cases of COVID-19 statewide, DHHS withdrew its public advisory on masking in indoor public settings but encouraged people at higher risk of infection or who feel safer with a face covering to consider continuing to wear a mask.
Residents should still wear face masks in high-risk congregate settings, including long-term care and health care facilities, regardless of vaccination status, DHHS officials said.
The APS decision comes as the district faces a lawsuit filed against the school district by a parent group called Freedom to Breathe, which calls the district's face mask mandate a violation of the state's school code.
The parent group, consisting of parents whose names have not been made public, recently asked the court to reconsider forcing the school district to end its mask mandate, something Judge Ed Black in the 26th Circuit Court refused to do in October.
The parent group is next scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
Lee Fitzpatrick, director of communications for Alpena Public Schools, said he could not comment on what will happen with the lawsuit, as the suit is a legal matter outside his area of knowledge.
An attorney for Alpena Public Schools on Monday declined to comment on the lawsuit. An attorney for Freedom to Breathe could not be reached for comment.
APS on Sept. 21 required all students, staff, and visitors to wear facemasks during school and at school events after health officials reported about 30 confirmed COVID-19 cases among APS staff and students since the start of the school year.
Wednesday's decision removing that mask policy brings APS schools in line with masking policies among other districts in the area.
On Monday, the Rogers City Area Schools board voted to lift a requirement that students mask in school.
Officials at Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools did not return a message to confirm a post on the district's website stating students in that district must wear masks because of health department rules.
Officials at all other school districts in Northeast Michigan said students are encouraged but not required to wear masks except on buses, a policy some districts have had since the beginning of the school year.
Alpena Community College will leave in place its requirement that students and others wear face masks within school buildings, including dual-enrolled and early college students, according to Jay Walterreit, ACC director of public information.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration has left it up to local health departments and school districts to decide whether or not to mandate masks or other coronavirus protocols.
District Health Department No. 4 in September advised masking at schools but did not order school districts to adopt a face mask policy.
Scroll down to view an APS announcement of the lifting of its face mask mandate and new mask guidance from the state. Story continues below the documents.
APS Mask Policy Change by Julie Riddle on Scribd
Meanwhile, health officials believe Michigan has moved into a recovery phase of the spread of COVID-19, with no immediate resurgence predicted, DHHS reported in a Wednesday news release.
Decreases in reported COVID-19 infections and hospital rates statewide --- paired with increased access to vaccines, testing, and treatment -- make the easing of masking recommendations appropriate, the state said.
On Thursday, the last time DHD4 updated online data, health officials reported 191 new confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 among Northeast Michiganders in the previous week, down from an average of about 300 new infections per week in the previous month.
School districts and organizations should consider local conditions and work with their local health department to determine mask policies for schools and public events, health officials said.
A recent greater availability of high-quality masks, such as the KN95 masks distributed by local health departments, helped state officials decide to scale back mask recommendations, said Scott Izzo, epidemiologist with District Health Department No. 2.
Where universal masking was at one time urged to prevent the exchange of the coronavirus, people at high risk of sickness now have better access to better masks to protect themselves, making universal masking less urgent, Izzo said.
The state's shifting guidance helps local health officials better know what to expect if another variant increases cases in the state again, he said.
Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693 or jriddle@thealpenanews.com. Follow her on Twitter @jriddleX.