HANCOCK — The Hancock School Board is sending an open letter to the state leadership in Lansing, Superintendent Steve Patchin announced in a Friday email.

The core of the letter is a request to let school officials work the Return to Learn plan that they developed with the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force and the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (UPHD).

“The plan was developed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within the buildings we educate your students,” the email states. “A separate plan, developed in collaboration with the MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association) and state health officials, allows us to safely conduct athletics. Let us work our plans, returning to a more regional/local approach to mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in education and sports.”

The letter is addressed to Elizabeth Hertel, the director of the Health and Human Services, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, State Rep. Greg Markkanen, and State Sen. Ed McBroom.

The letter states in part that since Whitmer ordered all K-12 schools in the state to close on March 12, 2020, Hancock Schools followed orders, teachers and staff creatively converted the curriculum delivery, and worked to engage the students in learning from afar in an anxiety-ridden environment.

It goes on state that using Whitmer’s COVID-19 Task Force guide, the school, working with the WUPHD, created a Return to School Plan, by which the schools could return to face-to-face learning in Fall of 2020. The plan’s goal was to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19 within the schools.

Since Hancock Schools opened their doors to face-to-face instruction, there has been evidence of only one possible case of internal spread, which occurred in mid-September, the letter states, and the WUPHD closed the district schools for a two-week “cooling off” period the last week of September and the first week of October, due to community spread, not in the schools.

“As we are moved in and out of face-to-face instruction and have our athletic season delayed and paused,” the letter states, “our students are the ones suffering. Both their physical and mental health continue to be at risk, while their intellectual, social, and emotional growth suffer.”

The school, it continues, has proven that adhering to the plan the Task Force and WUPHD officials assisted in creating to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19 is effective.

“Remove the ban on winter contact sports and allow our schools full control in deciding if face-to-face instruction needs to be paused. Allow us to operate our athletic programs using the guidance you have provided us,” the letter states.

The letter continues:

“The risk of our students attending face-to-face instruction or playing competitive sports (either contact or non-contact) using effective COVID-19 mitigation strategies does not outweigh the lifelong benefits achieved from in-school learning with their peers and practicing/playing competitive sports in school. We request you give control back to our communities and school districts and allow us to serve and educate our students safely and effectively with the tools you have provided us. It is in the best interest of our community, parents, education team and more importantly our students!”

Catherine Beer, health officer/administrator at WUPHD, said in an email Friday that her office recognizes that in-person education is the best option for most students. The WUPHD, she added, supports any opening of school or school-related events that adhere to good, sound mitigation measures.

“As Dr. Patchin mentions in his letter, we have seen limited transmission of the virus within school walls,” said Beer. “The majority of closures to date have been due to a community spread of the virus, where schools are subject to circumstances beyond their control. Our communities can support these schools and students by following guidance for hand-washing, regular mask use, physical distancing, and avoiding large indoor gatherings.”