Fife Public Schools
A Message from Superintendent Alfano
March 9, 2022
Dear Fife Public School Staff and Families,
As I am sure you are aware, the statewide mask mandate will end at 11:59 pm on Friday, March 11th. This means that starting on Saturday, March 12th, masks are no longer required in our school buildings at any time.
Monday, March 14th will be our first school day with the mask mandate lifted. Masks will be optional for all students, staff members, and families.
In Fife Public Schools we will respect everyone’s - staff, students, and visitors - personal choice to continue wearing masks in our buildings. We will work with our students to make sure everyone’s personal choice is respected at all times.
While, in general, this means we are moving in the right direction in regard to the pandemic, our state and local public health officials are still cautiously approaching other mitigations in the school setting. There are still requirements and recommendations that we will follow. I love the analogy of “the turning of the dial and not the flip of the switch” when it comes to moving through the different stages of the pandemic. We are turning the dial.
An example of a mitigation strategy that we will assess in the near future is the set up of the common spaces in our schools, such as cafeterias. Each cafeteria is set up a little differently, with different furniture and differing schedules. Our building administrators need a little time to assess their current set up and adjust accordingly.
The following is a graphic, from the Washington Department of Health (DOH), that summarizes the required versus the recommended/optional mitigation strategies we will be assessing in the coming weeks.
If you’ll notice, masks are still required in some settings and/or situations like our health rooms.
I also want to thank you for your continued support. It was Friday, March 13, 2020 that we last had a school day without the mask mandate. Two years and one day later, we will return to school without the mandate once again. It has been quite the journey with many miles to go, but I thank you for supporting our staff and students every step of the way.
Together we are Fife!
Kevin Alfano, Superintendent