MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — As children prepare to head back to the classroom soon, another school district is grappling with the question of masks.
Tuesday afternoon, the Manitowoc Public School District (MPSD) announced they will be requiring students, staff, and visitors to mask up when inside schools and buildings.
“I know that many of you, like me, have grown weary of wearing masks, especially if we have been vaccinated,” MPSD Superintendent Mark Holzman told families Tuesday. “But we are wearing masks indoors to help keep our students and staff safe.”
For this school district compared to other area districts, there was no vote involved. The school board president said it was actually the superintendent who made the final decision.
“The board itself did not vote on it, we left it to the superintendent to make that recommendation and then it will be up to the board to decide whether or not they want to address that issue themselves, but it was apparent that a clear majority of the board was in favor of the masking issue,” said Dave Nickels, the school board president for Manitowoc Public Schools.
The mask requirement goes into effective beginning Wednesday, August 25.
“There were very few people in attendance at the meeting, although we did receive quite a few emails and I expect that we will receive quite a few more. And it seems to be pretty balanced on those in favor and those against,” Nickels said.
The district will also follow the federal mandate requiring mask-wearing on school buses.
This school year the district will also be offering two learning models for all grades 4K-12: Full in-person instruction in MPSD schools and virtual instruction through the new McKinley Academy virtual charter school.
To learn more about the district’s safety and mitigation measures,click here.
