Superintendent extends mask requirement to November

Metro Wire Staff

Students and staff in Stevens Point public schools will be required to continue wearing masks through the end of the first quarter, which ends on Nov. 4.

The announcement from Superintendent Craig Gerlach was placed on the district’s website Thursday morning but was not sent to the press.

All students and staff from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, regardless of their vaccination status, will be required to wear a mask or face-covering anytime they are inside a district building. Masks will also be required on all district buses.

“Our primary responsibility to our students, and this community, is to preserve face-to-face educational
opportunities for students,” the announcement read in part. “Tomorrow will mark the 22nd day of in-person instruction for students of the 2021-22 school year. Last year, we did not reach 22 days of in-person instruction for elementary students until October 19 and secondary students until January 4.”

Masked students within three feet of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 will be required to quarantine; students who are unmasked but within six feet of a positive case will also need to quarantine, the announcement said.

The district called the policy a “mitigation tactic” to keep schools open for in-person learning five days a week.

Face-coverings will not be required for outdoor activities including recess, outdoor classrooms, outdoor athletics, or when actively eating and drinking.

Parents with a student who cannot wear a mask because of a medical condition should contact their school’s principal.