Luxemburg-Casco School Board drops COVID-19 mask requirement but will revisit the issue Monday

LUXEMBURG - The Luxemburg-Casco School Board will meet Monday to revisit its decision from Wednesday night to end the health precautions implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including a requirement to wear face masks or coverings in school buildings.

In a special meeting May 5 where "consideration of revising COVID related restrictions" was one of only two items in the agenda, the board voted 4-3 in favor of lifting mask requirements and quarantine rules immediately.

The school has a busy sports schedule this month, and several schools in the North Eastern Conference whose teams are scheduled to face the Spartans before the end of the season have told the school their teams won't come to the school or host its students for games if the COVID-19-related restrictions are lifted, District Superintendent Glenn Schlender said.

That's why the board is holding another special meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Schlender said, to consider "... modifying/clarifying the board’s COVID restriction decision from May 5," according to the posted agenda.

RELATED:  State 54 to close in Kewaunee County between Luxemburg and Casco

RELATED:  Luxemburg race track promoters use last year's lessons to prepare for 2021 season opener

FOR MORE KEWAUNEE COUNTY NEWS: Check out our homepage

Not only was the decision made via a close vote, the reaction Schelender's phone and email has received from parents and students has been about evenly split, he said. Besides health concerns, questions also were raised about making a change of this magnitude with less than a month to go in the school year.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court effectively ended a statewide mask mandate April 2 by limiting the ability to extend previous emergency orders without legislative approval. Since then, 36 of the state's 464 school districts have ended or loosened their mask requirements along with 18 private schools as of Monday, according to a running table on the "We the Parents of WI" Facebook page, a private group advocating optional mask wearing in schools.

While the COVID-19 protocols were meant to be lifted immediately, the schools would face logistical concerns in not only taking down plexiglass dividers in classrooms and other physical items but also finding places to store them on short notice. Schlender said discussions are taking place on this situation.

The board did take one other action in Wednesday's meeting: It voted to end the school year earlier than originally scheduled. Students in grades 4K through 8 will end their years May 28 while high school will run through June 3. 

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-741-7952, 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Luxemburg-Casco School Board drops COVID-19 mask requirement but will revisit the issue Monday