DE PERE, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Dozens of school boards across Wisconsin have already passed mask mandates for the start of the fall semester.
On Wednesday, the Unified School District of De Pere board voted to require masks for students in grades 4K through 6, while making it optional for kids in 7th to 12th grade.
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"We've seen the Covid numbers rising," HSHS Prevea Physician Dr. Jennifer Milosavljevic said before attending the board meeting. "We've seen what can happen to schools that don't mask."
"We're just asking for choice for our children," De Pere High School parent Dr. Ray Schneider said.
BREAKING: The Unified School District of De Pere board has voted to require masks for 4K-6 students.
— Ben Bokun (@ben_bokun) August 26, 2021
And this fall, Schneider's junior will have that choice.
"We were really hoping to see that they would fall on the side of giving parents options versus forcing people into mandates," Schneider said. "They're not giving the parents of those children, the younger grades, choice. And I think everybody deserves a choice."
Locally, Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, Neenah and Manitowoc are districts that have voted to require face coverings for all students and staff.
"We're just asking for choice," Schneider said. "If you want, you can have your child wear an N95, KN95. They can put a surgical mask over it. If you're over 12 years old, you can get vaccinated."
Milosavljevic attended the meeting to advocate for required face coverings in all grades.
"We feel the only way to make it safely through the school year without having to shut down the schools is with universal masking," she said.
The approved policies will be reviewed by the De Pere board monthly.
"I'm afraid that if they go back [to school] unmasked 7th [grade] and above, we're still going to see outbreaks in the schools," Milosavljevic said.
While students too young for a vaccine will have mandatory masking, the De Pere school board says the community remains divided on the issue.
"It's about protecting everyone around us" Milosavljevic said. "Love thy neighbor. It's a concept that we seem to have forgotten in this country. It's a concept that we need to get back on board with."
Back in the beginning of June, the De Pere school board previously decided to make face coverings optional.
De Pere schools are also planning to continue social distancing strategies.
Like many other school districts in the state, De Pere’s first day of school is set for Sept. 1.
