Hundreds Sign Petition Asking Oak Creek Schools To Require Masks

OAK CREEK, WI — In the weeks before classes start again in the Oak Creek-Franklin School District, a petition urging for the adoption of masks has collected over 400 signatures.

In a meeting on Aug. 10, the District Board of Education reaffirmed its earlier decision to forgo masking in classes. In announcements to parents, the District said it "encourages" masking, but there remains no policy requiring them.

It's a decision that has left many parents concerned, especially as a recent surge in COVID-19 cases continues. Over 400 people have signed a recent petition on change.org. The petition urges the Board of Education to implement a mask requirement for 4K-8 students, staff and visitors.

"As the mother of two students who will be going back to Meadowview Elementary, this complete lack of concern for our students and the community around them astounds me. I had my students home fully virtual for all of last year," Melinda Rodriguez wrote Patch in an email.

"Now the school board seems to be on the path towards guaranteeing that my children will be sent home. I mean that this policy is not something that is sustainable. What is going to happen is that my children are going to end up being forced home from a landslide of COVID cases or they may themselves get COVID," Rodriguez said.

A recent report on children and COVID-19 conducted by The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association shows childhood cases of COVID-19 have been on the rise. Cases of the disease dropped at the start of the summer, but have been on the uptick ever since. In the second week of August, 180,000 children tested positive for COVID-19, a four-fold increase over the course of a month, the AAP wrote.

Surrounding districts have adopted some form of masks. In Franklin, Greendale and Greenfield there is some form of mandatory masking for students under 8th grade.

The cutoff at 8th grade correlates to the youngest age someone can currently get vaccinated at. While the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been FDA approved for use in those above 16, it remains only emergency use authorized for those 12-16. Those under 12 cannot get vaccinated.

"None of the students in elementary schools are eligible to be vaccinated at this time, and only a portion of middle schoolers are eligible. With the current number of COVID cases in our area multiplying alarmingly on a daily basis and confirmed recent outbreaks among young children at mask optional summer programs, basic precautions are essential to providing a consistent and reliable education," the petition read.

Across Wisconsin, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 has reached its highest average since January. Oak Creek reflects the same trend: case burdens are currently high.

"The Board continues to encourage face-coverings and supports the position reached by each OCFSD family. The Board is committed to continuing to monitor circumstances locally and across the state," District Superintendent Dan Unertl told Spectrum News 1.

Parents have spoken out about the topic of masks at the Aug. 10 Board of Education meeting:

"My daughter was personally quarantined three times within the matter of months for being a close contact," one meeting attendee said. "I should be able to make masking and quarantine decisions in conjunction with my child's doctor."

Another woman who said she is a nurse practitioner and Oak Creek district parent spoke in favor of keeping masks and quarantining.

"I've seen the effects of COVID for the past 18 months," she said. "As the delta variant has begun to surge I am fearful for my children."

SEE ALSO:

Oak Creek Board Of Education Revisits COVID-19 Procedures

Wisconsin COVID-19 Case Average Highest Since January