Whitehall plans to make masks optional at school

A lot can change between now and the first day of school, but as of last week Monday Whitehall School District officials are planning on making face coverings optional for students and staff to start the 2021-22 school year. 

“Will kids have to wear masks? At this point no,” superintendent Mike Beighley said during the school board’s regular monthly meeting. “But if that’s what we have to do to stay open, that’s what we’ll do.”

Beighley said that the spread of COVID-19 has slowed drastically in recent months — the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has reported just 12 cases in Trempealeau County since June 1. However, he also noted that the virus — and its variants can spread quickly, saying the county was about two months behind the spread of COVID-19 and that the Delta Variant could be hitting around the same time school begins. As of last Monday when the meeting, stats in the southeastern part of the country began re-implementing face covering restrictions.

“There will be some right away that will criticize that, saying you’re just setting it up to do that anyway and I’ll say they should sit at my desk for awhile,” Beighley said. “We’ll start the year with no masks required and we’ll go from there, that’s the best answer I can give right now.”

Beighley said the district is leaning toward following the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association’s lead in only requiring non-vaccinated staff and students to quarantine should they have contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.

The Whitehall superintendent also acknowledged the political controversy surrounding face coverings. 

“I do know the political winds we are seeing right now and if we try to mandate masks, that’s all we’ll be doing is fighting that battle,” Beighley said. “But if the health indications are that it is necessary, you know me well enough to know that’s what we’ll do. I have no problem walking in and saying ‘folks, this is what we’re seeing.’” 

Beighley said the Center of Disease Controls recommendation — released the day after the meeting — that K-12 schools make masks mandatory did not change Whitehall’s plan at this point, but that the plan will remain fluid. The board will discuss the topic again at it’s Aug. 16 meeting at which time it is expected to announce a formal decision.