Masks optional but recommended at Wisconsin Heights

In a letter to parents this week, the Wisconsin Heights School District announced it would be going to “masking recommended” guidance going forward. With the expiration of the Dane County mask mandate, there are no guidelines requiring masks at school. District Administrator Jordan Sinz explained in the letter: “On February 14, Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) announced their Face Covering Emergency Order would expire on March 1.  While the School Board had approved a procedure in November that called for masking based on community levels of Covid-19 transmission, we acknowledge that a lot has changed since November.  Namely, a majority of our students have been vaccinated, nearly our entire staff is vaccinated, and many members of our school community have had a recent Covid-19 infection.  We have also seen a rapid decline in cases since they peaked on January 20.” Sinz continued: “With all of this in mind, the District will be shifting to a masking recommended procedure when a PHMDC order is not in place.  This shift will occur on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.  Masking will still be required on school-sponsored transportation through at least March 18 due to an order from the TSA. Should we have close contact situations, it will be important to reference our exposure/close contact guidance.  We will also continue to follow the guidelines outlined in the document “When Can Students/Staff Return After Illness?” Both of these documents are on the WHSD web page under the COVID Tab.”