Sturgeon Bay Alters Mask, Quarantine Rules

Sturgeon Bay High School campus. File photo.

Following through on an effort begun in late October, Sturgeon Bay’s school board eased some coronavirus-prevention protocols so that fewer students will wear masks and fewer students will be sent home to quarantine.

On Wednesday, the Sturgeon Bay school board approved a tiered approach to its rules requiring students to wear facial coverings. Effective as of the Monday before Thanksgiving, optional masking will return for students and staff in grades seven through 12. Effective Jan. 3, optional masking will return for students and staff in the pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade buildings.

School Superintendent Dan Tjernagel and the district office emailed parents a chart outlining all the details of the new “COVID-19 Procedural Guidance”: a grid that will be posted on the district’s website on its COVID-19 information page.

“In a nutshell,” Tjernagel informed parents, “the updated COVID-19 procedures focus on students who don’t have symptoms being able to attend school in more situations – even if needing to monitor symptoms closely, obtain a negative PCR test, and/or wear a mask for a certain number of days.”

The Southern Door School District approved similar procedures in October.