Fort Atkinson schools mask mandate in effect until at least Oct. 26
FORT ATKINSON, Wis. - Changes are taking place at Fort Atkinson schools after a 13-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 and died. The Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed for FOX6 News an official cause of death for the teen will not be determined for months.
Meanwhile, the Fort Atkinson School Board voted to implement a mask mandate after previously having masks be optional. The decision comes the same week as the teen's death.
"Masks are not perfect, but they are a tool in the tool belt of mitigation strategies," said one parent at a meeting on Thursday evening, Sept. 16.
The mandate will not be in effect through Oct. 26 when the school board next meets.
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"If you want your kid wearing a mask at school and you can’t keep that mask on your kid at school, that’s a parenting issue – not a school board issue. That’s called talk to your kids," said another parent.
In a letter sent just before the state of Thursday's meeting, the Jefferson County Public Health Officer advised the board to "immediately implement the universal use of face masks for all students and faculty." This week alone, 23 students tested positive for COVID-19.
The 13-year-old boy's mother, who also posted that she tested positive for COVID, asked FOX6 News off-camera not to identify her son in our reports.
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