G-E-T schools require masks as COVID-19 cases rise

Students in the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District last week Tuesday donned masks due to a district requirement for the first time in the 2021 school year.

Tuesday marked the first day of a temporary district mask requirement, one which will be re-examined on Friday, Oct. 15. Students with documented medical conditions can be exempt from the policy with a physician’s note.

Superintendent Michele Butler emphasized that the mandate is temporary, saying it’s in line with the district reopening plan and is based on  evidence that COVID-19 has spread within school buildings in the last week.

The increase in cases and masking change comes after last Monday’s school board meeting, in which board member Paul Kinzer argued emphatically that the district should require masks.

Butler said the district didn’t take the change lightly.

“We try to base every decision on real data, not just feelings,” Butler said. “This is a difficult time for everybody. … it was a difficult decision because we really do respect all the views of our community. And again, we hope that this doesn’t have to last for very long.” 

As of last Friday, the district had five positive cases among students with another 40 in quarantine due to possible exposure. Just three days later on Monday, those numbers had more than doubled to 11 positive cases and more than 80 students in quarantine, Butler said. 

The cases were spread “all throughout” the district school buildings, she said.

The district administration team had an emergency meeting on Monday to make the final decision. 

“When we start to get to those levels, then it’s ‘okay, do we need to make a change?’ And in this case, we did,” Butler said. 

No issues were had with students refusing to wear masks, Butler told the Times on Tuesday, the first day of the mandate.

As of Friday, there had been no evidence that transmission of the virus had taken place in the district. That changed on Monday, as two students have tested positive due to contact with another student, she said. 

The mandate will also change the mask requirements for indoor extracurriculars such as sports. 

Outdoor sporting events will continue to have masks optional with social distancing where possible. Those in attendance for indoor sports, however, will be required to wear masks. 

Student athletes will wear masks on the sidelines at indoor events, but the district is still examining how to handle masks for athletes actively playing, Butler said.

The district chose Oct. 15 because it provides a three week period to see if the trends improve. She hopes they do so that students can go back to the way they started the year — with mask choice being up to individual students and families.

“We’re going to try to keep this as short as possible because we know there are folks that this is very upsetting for them to have taken away that choice (of masking). So we want to make sure that we’re reevaluating frequently,” Butler said. 

“And if we fall to a level where things really cool down, we’re going to pull off that requirement as quickly as we can.”