See what changes Milwaukee area school districts have made to their mask, COVID-19 mitigation policies after the new CDC guidance
With COVID-19 cases declining across the Milwaukee area, state and even the United States, along with new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, some area school districts that had previously required masks have now made them optional.
The school boards in Wauwatosa, Greenfield and Nicolet all voted Feb. 28 to make masks optional, in accordance with new CDC guidelines that say Americans don't need to wear masks indoors in areas where COVID-19 is posing less of a threat to hospitals.
Other districts already started the 2021-22 school year with masks optional in their school buildings, so the new guidance doesn't affect their policies. Some districts did, however, change their policies regarding masks on buses to make them optional, when previously they had been required.
Changes to quarantine protocols have been made as well.
Here is a roundup of what area school districts are doing in terms of masks and quarantine procedures.
Arrowhead
Masks have been optional since the start of the school year. The district recently made masks optional on school buses due to the federal requirement being removed.
Cudahy
The board voted Feb. 28 to make masks optional.
Elmbrook
Masks have been optional in school buildings unless in a mask-required classroom since the start of the school year. The district's plan allowed parents with students in grades 4K through six to choose between mask-required, mask-optional and virtual classrooms. Masks have been recommended but optional for students in grades seven through 12.
The district no longer requires masks on district buses or vans; volunteers and visitors in good health are no longer required to wear masks unless engaging with students in mask-required classrooms; unvaccinated staff no longer are required to participate in weekly testing.
The school board also adjusted the self-quarantine return to school expectations. Students may return to school if they are symptom-free for 24 hours without medication and have abating symptoms. No lab-confirmed COVID-19 negative test is required to return to school when COVID-19 is suspected.
For parents with students in mask-required classrooms, the district is looking at a March 28 transition date, after the district's spring break, to mask optional in mask-required classrooms if:
Waukesha County remains in a medium or low community transmission level, as defined by the CDC
If the school district boundary COVID-19 positive seven-day average is less than 10
If the school district student disease activity 10-day average is less than 7
The district will communicate to staff and parents about mask requirements as spring break approaches. Students will remain with their current teacher for the entire year.
Germantown
Masks have been optional for all students since September in school buildings and on buses.
Glendale-River Hills
Masks will be recommended, but optional, starting March 7.
Grafton
Masks are now optional in school buildings and buses, no matter the disease burden level.
Greendale
The district is still following a plan the board approved Jan. 10 in which masks are strongly recommended but not required for students in grades K5-12 and in which masks are required for K4 students, as well as staff and visitors who are in K4 classrooms.
The board also set thresholds as part of its Jan. 10 decision for transitioning to universal masking. If the case rate reaches 3% among students at a school meetings, masks will be required for one week. If case rates remain at or go above 3%, than the masking requirement may be extended.
Greenfield
Masks are optional on school grounds for students, staff and visitors effective March 2. They are also optional on school buses. Masks are available in school offices for those who want to wear them during the school day.
Hamilton
Masks were no longer required in the district as of Jan. 28 in school building; as of Feb. 28, students were no longer required to wear masks on school buses.
Maple Dale-Indian Hill
Masks will become optional starting March 4 and quarantines were optional as of Feb. 28.
Menomonee Falls
The district has made masks optional since the start of the school year. Masks will no longer be required on school buses.
Mequon-Thiensville
As of Feb. 28, the district is now mask optional in its buildings, as well as on school buses.
Milwaukee Public Schools
Masks are still required for all staff and students
New Berlin
Masks have been optional since the beginning of the school year. The district recently decided to make masks optional on school buses.
Nicolet
Masks became optional for students, staff and visitors as of March 1.
The district is operating under two levels of mitigation, depending on the percentage of students and staff in isolation and quarantine as reported via its COVID-19 dashboard.
One category is for "low/moderate" case levels, which the district defines as fewer than 3% of students and staff in quarantine and isolation.
The second category is for "high" case levels, which the district defines as more than 3% of students and staff in quarantine and isolation.
The district said its current case levels have been below 3% for the past several weeks, allowing it to make masks optional. Should COVID-19 quarantine/isolation cases go above 3% for four consecutive reporting periods (an 11-day monitoring period), the district would return to a mask-required environment until there are four consecutive reporting periods (11 days) with student and staff quarantine and isolation cases below 3%.
Oconomowoc
The district is already a mask-optional district, but did say masks were not required on school buses or vans effective March 1. Temporary face mask requirements may still be used if there is an increase in cases within a classroom, grade level or school.
Pewaukee
The district has been mask optional since the start of the school year, but has recently made masks optional on school buses and vans.
Richmond
Masks have been optional the entire school year. The district also made masks optional on school buses.
Shorewood
Masks will be optional for all 5K-12 students in the district, but will still be required for all 4K students and children ages 2-5 participating in programs in district facilities.
South Milwaukee
The board decided Feb. 28 that masks are optional in school and at after-school activities as of March 1. Masks are also no longer required on school buses. The district also has ended quarantining asymptomatic students and staff who were in close contact with a positive case. The district will still contact staff and students who were close contacts and monitor for symptoms for 10 days.
After March 1, if a school's positivity rate increases to 1.5% or greater, that building will move back to mandatory masks for two weeks.
St. Francis
Masks are optional, with a metric in place to return to "masks required" for two weeks within a school building if 3% of students and/or staff test positive over a seven-day period. The district is also discontinuing close contact identification and quarantine of students with an in school close contact.
Waukesha
Masks have been optional in the district since May 2021 and during the 2021-22 school year.
Wauwatosa
The district voted Feb. 28 to make masks optional and suspend all of its mitigation levels for all students in junior kindergarten through 12th grade effective immediately. That means no masks are required on transportation to and from schools or field trips, no physical distancing requirements, the option to co-mingle classrooms, welcome guests and visitors into the building, conduct field trips and hold large in-person events.
The district will monitor its COVID-19 dashboard, and in the case of a concerning pattern of infection will provide mitigation instructions to the affected school communities. It will also no longer issue exposure notices through email, but will do so if a concerning pattern of infection is identified within any school building.
West Allis-West Milwaukee
The board voted Feb. 21 to make masks optional for all students, staff and visitors in district buildings. Masks are also now optional on school buses.
The district removed close contact quarantines for those without symptoms. It also said there are no changes to its quarantine process for positive COVID-19 cases.
If any school's positivity rate exceeds 3% among students and staff, masks will be required for at least two weeks or until the rate falls below 3%.
Whitefish Bay
Masks are optional for all except K4 students. The district does have metrics that would have to be met to shift to temporary mask requirements for either the entire district or a specific school.
For a specific school, if a school's positivity rate is greater than or equal to 3% regardless of the North Shore community transmission burden rate on a Friday, which is when the district updates its COVID-19 dashboard, masks would be required the following Monday at that specific school for two weeks.
For the district, if the North Shore community transmission burden rate is greater than or equal to 350 on a Friday, then masks will be required by all in the district beginning the following Monday for two weeks.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee-area school districts change mask, COVID-19 policies
