HEWETT, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – Nearly 100 people gathered at the Hewitt baseball diamonds Tuesday night in protest of the Marshfield School District’s mask mandate.
The school board recently voted 7-0 to make masks mandatory for the upcoming school year, regardless of vaccination status.
Parents and community members say they’re frustrated not just about the mandate, but also because they don’t feel the school board did enough to gather community feedback on the issue. “Voices in numbers. We want them to understand that this isn’t just one or two people that are concerned and that don’t agree with how they proceeded, that there is a number of parents and community members who don’t agree with their stance,” co-organizer Sara Nikolay told WAOW-TV.
“As a parent we know what’s best for our kids, and we should be able to decide it,” added co-organizer Amy Simone.
In response to the meeting, Dr. Ryan Christianson, Marshfield School District’s Superintendent, issued this statement to WAOW: “The School District of Marshfield is aware of the meeting that is planned for later today. Yesterday, I had what I believe was a positive and informative phone conversation with one of the event organizers, and I anticipate there will be some follow-up communication. Regarding the school district’s back-to-school plans, we continue to prepare for a safe return to school with a masking requirement that is intended to help us meet our goal of keeping students safe and physically present in our schools for as much in-person learning as possible.”
