COVID-19 Update

Dear Catholic School Families, Faculty, and Friends,

I hope this letter finds your family well at the start of this school year. I'm writing to follow up on our dialogue about how we may continue to serve our students this fall semester safely.

The Archdiocese of Detroit is aware of the Michigan Supreme Court's ruling regarding the emergency powers of Governor Gretchen Whitmer. However, please know that our current Catholic School Preparedness Plans were developed independently under the authority of Archbishop Vigneron, taking into account expert medical advice from the local medical community in partnership with our Return to School Task Force. As a result, our safety procedures are not affected by this ruling and will remain in place until further notice.

This also means that our youngest students (grades K-5) will continue to wear masks while attending face-to-face instruction, at least for the immediate future. Our Return to School Task Force will reassesses this requirement, among others, over the next few weeks. Any modifications to existing plans and procedures will be guided by the best understanding of the medical evidence, so our schools may continue to protect and serve all of our students and educators. Further, any modifications will be developed in conjunction with guidance from local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I will provide an update to all families as soon as we have one to share.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of our schools. Our successful return to in- person learning these last few weeks stands as compelling evidence that our mitigation efforts are working. We are confident that with your help, these trends will persist, and we will continue to welcome students back into our schools each day this fall.

Sincerely,

Kevin D. Kijewski, J.D. Superintendent of Catholic Schools

Cc: The Most Reverend Allen H. Vigneron The Very Reverend Jeffrey Day, V.G.