APPLETON, Wis. (NBC 26) -- The Appleton Area School District will require masks at the start of the school year for students and staff.
"Let us choose," AASD special education staff member Vanessa Mccarthy said. "Let us have the right to choose."
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"I hope that they will pass a mask mandate," AASD science teacher Dory Witzeling said.
And Witzeling's wish has come true.
"I don't believe that anybody has a right to come to a classroom and infect others," she said.
Protesters have taken to the streets of Appleton, where the area school district is set to hold a meeting that could decide if masks are required this fall. Families on both sides of the masking debate are in attendance. pic.twitter.com/jUmqUIdClL
— Ben Bokun (@ben_bokun) August 23, 2021
On Monday, the Appleton Board of Education voted to require masks for all students and staff indoors starting Aug. 25.
"I'm worried about the safety of my students, my colleagues and myself," Witzeling said.
This comes after a vote in July when the school board decided to recommend masks but not require them for the fall semester.
"Do I have the right to have a classroom where everyone is masked that makes me feel like everyone's safe?" Witzeling asked. "If I don't, what is my choice? I just have to quit my job?"
Mccarthy also has two kids in the Appleton district.
"As a parent and a citizen, I deserve my right too," she said. "My right to choose whether or not I want to wear it or if my kids should wear it."
Mccarthy was among dozens of protesters outside the district headquarters. She advocated for the option to mask.
"If you feel like your research can help keep your child safe and your family safe by wearing a mask, then you go for it and do it," the Appleton resident said. "I support that."
Starting Wednesday, face coverings are mandatory inside school grounds, but the board plans to revisit protocols at a meeting in October.
"Where does it stop?" Mccarthy asked. "What's the next thing that I'm not gonna be allowed to choose or be able to do?"
There were a limited number of parents and community members giving public input at the meeting.
Just a few weeks ago, the board was more confident in the state of COVID-19.
"I like the proposal of giving it a chance, you know, giving it a chance to make it optional," board member Deborah Truyman said at a July meeting. "And if need be, you put on that next layer."
