Wisconsin Heights to require masks for Pre-K through 6, grades 7 through 12 are optional

The Wisconsin Heights School Board voted 5-2 to reinstate the use of masks this fall at their Aug. 9 meeting. Mike Wagner and Angie Wolf were the dissenting votes. The District will follow the following guidelines: 1. Required for students and associated staff in grades Pre-K - 6 (indoors only); 2. Strongly recommended for students and staff in grades 7 - 12 (indoors only); a. The District will utilize a 5% threshold for positive cases/quarantined students to determine a shift to masking at the 7 - 12 level; b. The procedures will be discussed and reviewed monthly for the foreseeable future; 3. Optional use outdoors for students and staff district-wide; 4. Co-curricular activities to follow WIAA guidelines; 5. Masks may be required district-wide if the local public health situation indicates such a change is prudent. District Administrator Jordan Sinz said the following, when reached after the meeting: “Our guiding principles throughout the pandemic have been to safely have as many students attend in-person instruction as possible.  We are poised to open our doors, five days a week, for full-time in-person instruction, to all district students.  For in-person instruction to occur with the least disruption, we will have to utilize safety protocols that recognize the seriousness of the pandemic.  Without these protocols in place, we will be very susceptible to students being out of the building for quarantines and therefore missing out on in-person instruction and risking learning loss.”