A new, more relaxed, COVID-19 plan sparks debate at latest Elmbrook School Board meeting

The Elmbrook School District’s updated Covid-19 response plan at a School Board meeting on July 12 set the stage for yet another hotly contested discussion between board members and parents.

In what is designed to be a more relaxed policy, and in line with how the district has eased precautions each year since the start of the pandemic, the 2022-23 supporting healthy learning environments plan is largely influenced by CDC guidelines.

Notable safety suggestions in the document include staying home when sick, using the CDC calculator to establish an isolation period if exposed or sick, staying up-to-date on vaccinations and using a mask as a personal choice unless directed by the Waukesha County Health Department.

The last inclusion makes way for potentially enforced masking should the Waukesha County Public Health Department deem a school's risk level is high enough.

The document also establishes that Elmbrook will no longer continue to send exposure notifications to parents or students. One thing that remains unclear is whether the district will continue to use its COVID-19 dashboard — though it was implied in the meeting that it likely won’t use the tool this year.

Elmbrook Superintendent Mark Hansen is no stranger to the district's COVID conversation, as almost a year to the date he had to employ police protection at his house for eight weeks in response to a lawsuit and parents who were upset over the district's COVID-19 policy. Hansen said the new document is meant to represent a philosophical shift in how the district will approach Covid-19.

“In essence, we are moving from a pandemic response to a communicable disease management system, similar to protocols that we have always done with influenza and pertussis,” said Hansen.

The presentation of the document left board members vexed, as some felt it was useful while others felt it was too much.

Board members Kathy Lim and Linda Boucher said the document was superfluous, if not impeding, and suggested simplified language or even complete dismissal of the document.

Lim even halted the meeting in its opening minutes to state that she felt the supporting healthy learning environments portion of the meeting was “unnecessary.”

Boucher was particularly critical of the vaccine recommendations claiming that COVID-19 vaccinations were experimental, and saying, “There is data out there, and I think we are walking on a very fine street of eggshells.”

But other board members were satisfied with the document. Jean Lambert defended it saying it provides an important  communication touchpoint for parents and helps track the spread of COVID-19.

“As a school district, we are required to report communicable diseases to the public health department, and in order to do that, we need a system that would say this is how we are going to be able to do that report, which is what a lot of this document is about,” Lambert said.

Board members Juan Sun, Mushir Hassan and Jennifer Roskopf all defended the document on the basis that it provides suggestions and guidance for parents who choose to use it.

A continued debate over COVID-19 guidelines

In what has become an increasing norm across the state the politicization of school board meetings in Wisconsin has led to increased attendance and more impassioned public responses — and the Elmbrook School Board is no exception.

Despite being told that it was too much of a risk to open schools, Elmbrook was one of the first districts in the Milwaukee area to return to in-person classrooms in 2020.

Over that year, and the one after, masking became particularly tense topic, prompting the district to make masking a choice in schools as of May 17, 2021. Before the 2021-22, school year, parents were offered the choice of mask-optional or mask-mandatory classrooms.

Parents are still passionate about COVID-19 guidelines

In advance of the 2022-23 school year, parents have not cooled on the topic of COVID-19 protocols, as numerous parents spoke July 12 about the district's new COVID-19 approach.

Some parents expressed outrage at the new policy.

“It’s opinionated, it’s a very controversial issue, the whole COVID-19 scenario, and I know it’s a very fine line for a school to balance … what gives any educator the authority to impose their health care opinion, regardless of where their source of information came from, onto students and parents,” said one parent of the district’s new COVID-19 approach.

Other parents were relieved that there was still guidance on COVID-19 and even wanted to bring back old policy points.

“I appreciate that this is all scientific based and not based on internet speculation … one thing I do propose is that the district reinstate exposure notifications emails. I think this is a vital piece of information, and, as many have said, we all want to make the decision we think are best for our children,” said a parent whose child is considered at high risk for COVID-19.

No conclusion could be determined about the fate of the document; however, it will  likely continue to be discussed at future meetings.

The next board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Elmbrook Central Administrative Office.

 Beck Andrew Salgado can be reached at 512-568-4070 or Bsalgado@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Beck_Salgado

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New COVID-19 plan sparks debate at Elmbrook School Board meeting