The Neenah Joint School District Board of Education adopts a revised COVID-19 Recovery Plan for the 2021-2022 school year. The new policy allows optional masking with the flexibility to make it mandatory if conditions warrant. The board’s approval came after a two hour virtual public comment session. Many opposed mandatory masking. Some like Sara Prell thought school board members considered all viewpoints except for parents.
“There was no survey sent to parents,” Prell said. “There should have been a majority vote by parents to make this decision for their children. How is it fair that nine people get to choose a plan for 6,700 children in the district?”
Rebecca Philpot says mandatory masking has taken a toll on her son.
“He was so bothered by it but he couldn’t voice how much that was bothering him,” Philpot said. “I don’t know what I would do if you guys mandate the mask. I don’t know that he could tolerate it.”
There was support voiced for a COVID recovery plan that aid in-person learning.
“I encourage the school district and the school board to make a decision,” said student Parker DeDecker. “When they make their vote today, that creates a policy and an environment where students don’t have to constantly shift between in-person and virtual. Because that’s what’s best for mental health. Being in-person because we all want our students to be in school. I want to be in school.”
Tullar School Principal Diane Galow says that can happen with flexible approaches to masking.
“I’m asking for mandatory masking when cases go up,” Tullar said. “When cases go up, we mask. When cases are not going up or we have no cases in our schools, we don’t mask.”
