7/20/2021 
Dear FAS Families, 

I would like to provide you some updates to many questions being asked in our community about Construction, COVID, and Critical Race Theory (CRT).

As many have noticed there is major construction going on at the Farwell Area Schools. The Teachout Wing of the Farwell Elementary is gone, and the new six-room addition to the elementary is nearing completion. Construction on all new secure entrances is underway, as well as the new Elementary parking lot and many more improvements in all buildings. We are still proceeding on schedule to be open for our first day of school on August 30, 2021. We are looking forward to sharing with you these new, amazing improvements.

Unfortunately, the COVID virus has not gone away. We at Farwell Area Schools (FAS) continue to work with our local health department CMDHD and MDE regarding COVID and rules for educating our Farwell Eagles. The MDE rules for educating students have returned to the pre-pandemic status. Our 2020-21 data clearly demonstrated that the majority of our students are more successful with face-to-face instruction. Therefore, FAS will not be offering virtual learning options for the 2021-2022 school year. The only exceptions to in- person learning will be for alternate programing and or credit recovery. If we experience a COVID outbreak, we will do our best to support our students through remote learning.

At this time, FAS is planning to not require the wearing of masks for students and/or staff. The wearing of masks will be optional. Currently, the CDC is requiring face masks to be worn on all public transportation. This includes school buses. FAS will only require face masks on buses if required to do so.

We have encouraged staff and eligible students to get vaccinated, but we will not require verification to attend school. The choice to get vaccinated is a personal choice for individuals. Individuals accept the risk of taking and/or not taking vaccine and the risk of being exposed to COVID19.

FAS is not planning to require students, student athletes, or employees to be tested for COVID on a regular basis, unless required to do so .

FAS is not planning on performing contract tracing and or quarantine. This could change if we experience a COVID outbreak. We will continue to work closely with our local health department on all health issues. 

Finally, we have received multiple questions regarding the teaching of Critical Race Theory. The Farwell Area Schools are not teaching CRT and the Board of Edcuation has not approved the teaching of CRT. We continue to focus our attention on the teaching of Core Curriculum Content. We will continue to teach critical thinking skills, not CRT. FAS does support tolerance and inclusion, not segregation. We strive to achieve Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream of a color-blind society that judges people on the content of their character, not their race, color of their skin, origin, or other characteristics. When teaching history, we encourage our students to think deeply and critically about history. America is a great country, not a perfect one. I think Barry Farber said it best, “No country has ever accumulated more power and wealth, or abused them less.” Our mission at Farwell Area School remains, “Together with family and community, we will educate all students in a supportive environment, engaging them in learning through a variety of challenging experience to ensure success in an ever-changing world.” We look forward of working together to help our Eagles Rise Above.

Respectfully,
Steve Scoville
FAS Superintendent

 

 

Farwell High School was ranked as the top high school in the Clare-Gladwin RESD according to the U.S. News rankings. These rankings include data on nearly 24,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. The top-ranked schools have a high rate of students who scored above expectations in math and reading state assessments, passed an array of college-level exams, and graduated in four years. Schools are ranked nationally and within each state.