MONROE — At the Sept. 13 Monroe Board of Education meeting in the Performing Arts Center at the high school, it was decided to mandate masks for all students Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade inside Monroe School District facilities.

On just the second day of the school year, the county moved from High to Very High case burdens. Seven days later, positive COVID-19 case counts in the district among students were higher than at any time in the 2020-21 school year. Waski mandated masks at all elementary schools until the board could meet Sept. 13.

“As you might imagine, I got all sorts of feedback Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week,” said Rick Waski, Monroe District Administrator. “I talked to people on both sides of this issue, and ultimately we hit the bench marks we had talked about in previous meetings, and I made the decision … to make the change until the next board meeting.”

The case count for the district reached 18 on Tuesday, Sept. 7, surpassing the single day high of 17 total between students and staff during the 2020-21 school year. All 18 cases were students, with 12 in the elementary level, and six in the middle and high schools. 

“Whether people want to acknowledge it or not, our COVID activity is up over last year, and it is a result of the Delta variant. There is no refuting those numbers. It is just higher,” Waski said.

The case count stayed at 18 for three days. By the board meeting, it was down to 14 in the district at a 7-7 split. By Sept. 15, there were just six positive cases in the district, with 48 students — and no staff — in quarantine.

The board voted 8-1 to continue the elementary mask mandate until the next meeting, Sept. 27, when it will reassess the situation. 

“The data-based approach we decided on, Rick did the right thing to invoke that. I think, from my perspective, looking at the case counts that we have, our goal was to keep kids in school and I think this is one way to potentially do that,” board member Tim Wolff said, adding that he supports the mandate until the local burden rate and school case counts come down. 

Board member Cheryl McGuire was the lone vote against the elementary mask mandate, but suggested that her vote could change at the next board meeting depending on the trend in numbers. 

Sixth graders at Monroe Middle School were previously allowed to be mask optional. However, much of the student populace in sixth grade are too young to receive a vaccination, as the FDA has approved emergency vaccine status for those 12-years and older. In order to mitigate the risk of spread and to keep as many children in school as possible, the board moved to add the sixth grade to the mask mandate, passing the measure on a 7-2 vote. McGuire and Phil Vosberg voted against.

“We can all agree on one thing — we all wish COVID would just go away, or didn’t happen,” board member Teri Ellefson said. “But with what’s going on, we have to make choices. … Wearing two hats — being a parent is one hat and being a school board member is another hat — your ideas and thoughts can be a little conflicted with each other. But today I sit up here and I have to think as a school board member, and as a school board member, first and foremost is to give the kids an education and keep them safe.”

Monroe is not the only local school to do so. Waski informed school board members of other local schools’ decisions. As of the board meeting, New Glarus, Monticello and Brodhead all had mask requirements for Pre-k through Grade 8, with New Glarus and Monticello requiring masks for all grade levels. On Sept. 15, Black Hawk moved into “Orange”, which requires all students, staff and visitors to be masked inside school district facilities. Albany was set to have discussions at its board meeting, also set for Sept. 13, while Juda’s threshold for mandating masks was being close to hit.

“There has been a shift. In late August, there were no school districts that had mask mandates at that time. That has changed quite a bit,” Waski said. “The Monday night we were meeting, New Glarus that same night went to Pre-K-12 mandate. That is going to continue through the end of September,” as is Monticello’s mandate.

The board also took up a vote to require all grades, including 7-12, into the mask mandate. Nearly 60% of Monroe High School students are vaccinated. The measured failed 3-6, with Dan Bartholf, Ellefson and Wolff voting ‘yes’.

In other Board of Education action:

●  The board unanimously approved a search for a full-time SOAR coordinator with exempt staff status on a 210-day contract. Previously a search was held for the part-time position, but the quality of candidates did not meet expectations. Interim high school principal Jeriamy Jackson and Pupil Services Director Joe Monroe intend to hire a candidate with a professional license. 

The SOAR program gives students credit for working with approved businesses in town. There are currently 37 students in the program, with the numbers down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as in typical years it is in the 70-80 range, according to Jackson. 

“Our hope with this is that we grow it,” Jackson said. “We have had conversations with lots of different businesses and industries in our town — and even outside of town — that really want a pathway for students to get exposed to their careers with jobs that they have. And on our end, too, we want to give students a better experience and a leg up when they get out of high school.”

●  The board unanimously approved a plan to add two student representatives to the board. Monroe High School senior Marissa Vosberg previously proposed and presented the idea to the board. Marissa Vosberg, Waski and Wolff will now work together to lay out the planning process for selection criteria.  The plan would two high school students — a junior and a senior — to join the board for its twice-monthly meetings. Students would likely be required to commit to the position for two years, with the exception of the first-year senior selected. 

●  The board heard a pupil services report from Joe Monroe. 

●  Approved the 2021-22 Preliminary Operating Budget for the annual meeting as presented by Ron Olson, district Business Administrator.

●  The board was updated on the Northside Elementary renovation project, with work continuing in the summer of 2022.