Largest WI School District Lifts Mask Rules As County Cases Slip

MILWAUKEE, WI — Masks for around 75,000 students will be optional at the largest school district in Wisconsin starting in April after a school board vote on Thursday.

The Milwaukee Board of School Directors voted to lift its mask mandate on April 18, Milwaukee Public Schools said in a statement. School administrators will watch COVID-19 case data on a daily basis, MPS superintendent Dr. Keith Posley said at the meeting. If the case burden reaches "orange," or a level of substantial transmission, the district will revert to mandatory masking.

COVID-19 cases in Milwaukee County have been consistently low since the start of March. The seven-day average for new cases was 34 cases per day on Sunday, county data showed.

Milwaukee Public Schools will still offer testing and a supply of N95 and KN95 masks, but the district recommended staff and students to take measures like quarantine or isolation if someone gets sick.

According to the district, 75,081 children are enrolled in Milwaukee public schools.

Health experts agree that getting vaccinated is the No. 1 way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.