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Madison Metropolitan School District extends mask requirements through May

MADISON (WKOW) -- The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) informed families Friday that it will be extending its requirement to wear masks inside school buildings until the first week of May.

The decision comes after a meeting between the district and its medical advisors, and it was determined that it was in the best interest of students and staff to extend the requirement to wear masks indoors until May. The district is will provide an updated decision on masking indoors by May 6.

MMSD had several considerations for this decision, the first of which is to keep their schools open and in-person, saying that they "strongly believes this in the best interest of students, families, staff, and the community." They said that outside of vaccination, the best way to prevent spread of any virus is wearing a mask, so they continue to require it.

The other considerations are the upward trend of local COVID-19 cases, the extension being in line with the CDC mask mandate for public transportation, with the extension giving the district time to monitor the current surge and prevent further spread in advance of the May decision.

MMSD pointed to their phased approach to modifying their mask protocols in March when they continued to require masks indoors through spring break to safeguard against a potential COVID spike similar to what they experienced shortly after winter break. The COVID-19 spike post-winter break significantly exacerbated already severe staff shortages across the district, causing a three-day pause to the district's return from winter break to reduce risk of needing to close schools.

During the extension, the district plans to continue holding regular Metrics Meetings to review current COVID conditions and engage in ongoing discussions with its medical advisors.

More at WKOW 27 News


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