On May 18, 2021, the School Board voted to change the COVID-19 mitigation strategy for our schools that have been in place since the beginning of the school year. This approval followed a hasty unilateral decision by the Superintendent May 13, 2021 to modify the mask policy, effective that same day. His decision was not done with the approval of the School Board in a public setting, and it circumvented the opportunity for public comment.

The reaction from the community caused the School Board to convene a Special Board Meeting on May 18, even though there was a scheduled Board Meeting on May 24 where these issues could have been discussed. For some reason, the Administration and the School Board President were in a hurry and decided that this issue was so pressing that it couldn't wait a few more days so that everyone would have had more time to prepare and the expense of a Special Board Meeting would not have had to be incurred.

This most recent action takes the change from May 13 a step further by making masks "recommended" for everyone in school buildings, not just those that are vaccinated. This goes beyond the recent CDC guidelines that vaccinated adults could forgo masks safely as long as other mitigation measures, such as physical distancing, were practiced.

Effective May 21, 2021, all students and teachers in our schools will not be required to wear masks. This change is contrary to guidance from the CDC, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and Waukesha County Public Health, all of which state that face masks should be worn in school settings.

The following message was sent to parents May 20, 2021 at 12:21pm:

Good afternoon SDNB families and staff,

Based on the Board of Education's recent vote to approve the wearing of face masks by all students, staff and visitors in all School District of New Berlin schools and facilities be recommended rather than required for the remainder of the school year, we wanted to provide you with additional information of how we will operationalize our efforts in our schools. Here is our "Updated COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies" document that provides said information.

As shared with you Tuesday night, the change, which applies to ALL students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, is effective tomorrow, Friday, May 21. It applies to all SDNB functions, activities and athletics. There are the following exceptions:

• Masks continue to be required on school-sponsored transportation per federal regulations.
• For WIAA-sponsored athletics, when traveling, the host school expectations must be followed along with WIAA expectations for the end-of-season tournament series.

Until then, the School Board further confirmed that masks were not required for students, staff and visitors 16-and-older who are fully vaccinated, as announced by the District last week.

Please note that the Board of Education will be clarifying quarantining protocols for the remainder of the school year and summer school/school-sponsored summer athletics and activities mitigation recommendations at their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, May 24th, at 7 pm in the New Berlin Eisenhower Commons. 

Finally, any families that wish to change their child’s instructional model from in-person to virtual, or vice versa, as a result of this decision are free to do so. Please work with your building principals to arrange this if you so wish.

Thanks again for your ongoing support and understanding as we all continue to navigate through this unprecedented school year.

Sincerely,

Joe Garza, Superintendent

It's unfortunate that such a drastic change was done with so few days left in the school year. (The last day of school is June 11) There's a reason that people have stickers on their cars that say "26.2" instead of "26".

For more than eight months, students, parents, and teachers all followed the same guidelines. Wearing a mask was an adjustment, but most people are able to adjust to such things fairly quickly, and it became part of what made it possible to have in-person education in our schools. I believe it was the single-most important factor that kept our schools open and the number of COVID-19 cases very low in our student and staff population.

By making this change, it forces a level of chaos into a situation in the hopes of solving a problem that didn't need to be fixed. It jeopardizes the hard work that families, students, and staff have put in all year to stay safe so our schools could stay open and everyone could stay healthy. It also jeopardizes end-of-year activities, including in-person graduation ceremonies for high school seniors and sports programs.

I realize that there are some people who never adjusted to wearing masks, and have bristled against the idea since it was proposed as a mitigation measure. Also a factor is the political divisiveness over the issue of masks which continues to be a factor with some in the community. This change seems directed at satisfying that segment of the community, which has been vocal in their opposition to the mitigation strategies in place throughout the school year.

Now, families and students must decide what to do. Should they switch to online learning so close to the end of the school year? Should a student continue to follow the guidance of local, state, and federal guidelines and recommendations and wear a mask? If they do, how will other students that choose to not wear a mask treat them?

School is challenging enough without adding yet another major challenge in front of the students.

Do You Disagree with This Change?

If you disagree with the School District making this change, please remember this when three School Board member positions are up for election in April 2022. The terms for Janet Schulz, Mitchell Helmer, and Kate Unger expire in 2022. If they run for reelection, remember how they voted and more importantly, what their reasons are for their votes. Those reasons are just as important as their final vote.

If you would like to contact the School Board members, please visit the School Board Members page on the School District website.

What are Other School Districts Doing?

It can be helpful to know what other school districts in the area are doing. That's not to say that we should do something simply because everyone else is doing it (remember what our parents said about if all the other kids are jumping off a bridge?), but what they are doing and why may help in understanding what is happening here and around us.

• Cedarburg
  The School Board voted Apr 27, 2021 to keep masks in class through the end of the school year.
• Elmbrook
  Changed to masks optional May 17, 2021.
• Greendale
  Masks required.
• Mequon-Thiensville
  The School Board voted May 17, 2021 to keep mask mandates in place.
• Mukwonago
  Masks will be optional effective May 24, 2021.
  
• Muskego-Norway
  Changing to masks optional effective May 24, 2021
• Waukesha
  Changed to masks optional before New Berlin.
• West Allis-West Milwaukee
  Masks required.
• Whitnall
  Masks required.
  

Last Updated: May 21, 2021 - Archived on Dec 31, 2022

Resources

• SDNBs 2021-22 Fall Re-Entry Plan - July 26, 2021

  Presentation given by Superintendent Joe Garza to the School Board on July 26, 2021. This plan was later approved by a vote of 5-1.

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