WINONA, Minn. (KWNO)-The Winona Area Public Schools Board tabled a motion that would’ve ended the district’s indoor masking requirement.
WAPS Superintendent Dr. Annette K. Freiheit shared a presentation that showed falling COVID case rates within the district before the vote. WAPS Incident Command Team, which has been making recommendations for the district’s COVID response, proposed to make masking optional.
Board members Karl Sonneman, Michael Hanratty Steve Schild pushed to table the motion, saying they got the recommendation the morning of the meeting and did not have adequate time to consider their vote.
“I don’t like it that we got this this morning and are to act on it tonight,” Schild said.
Sonneman pointed to the CDC’s classification of community transmission being high in Winona County. He said the district went to a masking policy based on the CDC guidelines in August when case rates were lower than they are now.
Chair Nancy Denzer and board members Tina Lehnertz and Jim Schul voted against tabeling the motion.
“I have had a lot of time to be able mulling over this issue,” Schul said. “This is not uncommon that the Incident Command Team brings us this to the table in this time frame.”
Freiheit says COVID cases being reported within the district are happening outside of school buildings. The board voted to have the masking requirement on the agenda for its March 3 meeting.
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