School Board Meeting to Feature Parents For and Against Mask Mandate
MARSHFIELD, WI (OnFocus) – The start of the new school year is usually a time of excitement for kids, faculty and staff but confusion over COVID-19 protocols has put a damper on the first week of this school year.
On August 11, the Marshfield School Board elected to require students, staff and faculty to wear masks while indoors at Marshfield schools. Parents voiced their displeasure over the decision at the school board meeting as well as on the first day of school.
As kids arrived for their first day of school at Marshfield High School, a group of parents were stationed on the sidewalk outside of the school holding signs condemning the mask mandate.
Other parents showed support for the motion in the form of letters, phone calls and in-person statements.
The first week of school also brought confusion for instructors as a teacher at Marshfield Middle School reportedly asked a student about their vaccination status.
The school sent out an email to parents apologizing for the incident.
“The District recognizes that a student’s vaccination status is a private matter,” the statement said. “We apologize for any frustrations or concerns this situation may have caused for you or your child. The School District of Marshfield does not condone what occurred.”
A parent of a high school student at Marshfield posted on Facebook claiming that her son refused to wear a mask and was isolated, with supervision, in the lunch room during the first day of school.
The next school board meeting is scheduled to take place on September 8th at 6 p.m. Both groups of parents that are for and against the mask mandate are expected to attend and comment at the meeting. According to the school’s website, the meeting has been moved to the Marshfield High School Fieldhouse to accommodate the expected crowds.
A disclaimer for the meetings shows that comments from the public are not for debate but more informational and to help the school board get feedback from parents.
THE DISCLAIMER: The Board values all comments and will respectfully consider this input in decision making; however, it is not the intent of the public comment portion of the meeting for the Board to enter into a debate or discussion of an issue. Comments in regard to personnel matters are not allowed. Information presented cannot result in immediate action due to the Open Meetings Law but could precipitate a future agenda item.
Comments will be limited to three minutes. Citizens not able to attend in-person but would like to provide public comment can submit comments to [email protected] and all comments received by 3:00 p.m. on September 8, 2021 will be read aloud by the Board of Education during the Public Comment period.
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