Wisconsin Coronavirus Cases Climb To Nearly 400; New School Rules

MILWAUKEE, WI — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases nearly doubled over the weekend in Wisconsin, and the virus claimed its fourth life, health officials said. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers also issued several new orders related to K-12 schools and districts.

According to the state Department of Health Services, they have confirmed 381 COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin as of Sunday, up from 206 cases reported on Friday afternoon.

A fourth person has died as a result of the ongoing new coronavirus outbreak in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the death on Twitter, stating the victim was a 69-year-old man who had been hospitalized for several days prior to his death.

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On Thursday, health officials confirmed that a Fond du Lac man in his 50s and an Ozaukee County man in his 90s both died from the coronavirus, officially called COVID-19. On Friday, officials confirmed that a man in his 60s died from the virus in Milwaukee County.

New School Rules

On Sunday, Gov. Tony Evers ordered the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to suspend four key rules relating to hours of instruction, student teacher assessments, and general flexibility during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“As we continue to face challenges surrounding COVID-19 in Wisconsin, it’s critically important that school district administrators, educators, students, and parents have the peace of mind knowing we’re working to address concerns about hours of instruction, making sure our student teachers will graduate on time, and ensuring the department has flexibility as we move forward to do what’s best for our kids, educators, and schools across our state,” Evers said in a statement.

On Sunday, Evers suspended the rule that required school districts to set a minimum number of instructional hours per year. With the COVID-19 public health crisis, Evers said the suspension of this rule means districts can still finish the year on time whenever school resumes.

Evers also suspended the deadline for school choice submissions to the Department of Public Instruction. Evers also suspended the deadline for districts to submit four-year-old kindergarten grants to the state.

Evers also suspended some requirements in teacher preparation programs, effectively allowing them to graduate on time in spring.