Wausau School Board pushes discussion of COVID-19 policies to end of month as more staff, students test positive, quarantine
WAUSAU – The Wausau School Board did not address the district's contentious COVID-19 policies at its Monday night meeting, despite pushback from parents and others in the community.
Superintendent Keith Hilts said the school district is working with the Marathon County Health Department on further mitigation plans and that it will be on the board's agenda "no later than the 27th (of September)."
"We're already on that," he said ahead of public comment at Monday night's meeting, where dozens spoke both in favor and against requiring masks in schools.
Hilts told the Wausau Daily Herald in an email that it is "too early in the school year to make any recommendations to the school board for policy changes at this time."
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As of Tuesday, five district staff members and 28 students had tested positive for COVID-19, according to the district's COVID-19 dashboard. 17 staff members and 186 students are quarantined.
The Wausau School Board decided in early August to start the 2021-22 school year without requiring masks and with minimal physical distancing in schools. Other safety efforts were left in place, such as promoting vaccination, handwashing schedules and sanitizing stations.
The move to not require masks has drawn criticism from some parents within the district as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in the county, which has seen a major uptick in cases since the beginning of August.
On Saturday, the state health department reported 44 new COVID-19 cases in Marathon County and 19 new hospitalizations.
School Board President Pat McKee told the Daily Herald that district administrators asked for a discussion on COVID-19 policies to be included on the Sep. 27 Education/Operations Committee meeting agenda.
Contact Allison Garfield at 715-351-9799 or agarfield@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @aligarfield_.