Milwaukee Public Schools Reinstate Mask Mandate Right After Making It Optional

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) reinstated its mask rule this week, shortly after making face coverings optional.

It made the announcement this week, forcing children and staff to wear masks yet again. The policy went into effect on Wednesday, April 20, and was made after the district determined “a significant transmission of the virus within the city of Milwaukee,” according to the district.

“The mask policy is in place to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The district has the option to revert back to a mask-optional policy if it is determined that there is not a significant risk of virus transmission within the city of Milwaukee and/or the school district,” the district said in a statement, also encouraging students and staff to get vaccinated and boosted and practice “physical distancing.”

Because of the updated rule, students and staff only enjoyed the option of not wearing a face covering for two days, as the district board voted last month to make masks optional beginning April 18. The relaxed rules failed to last even a whole school week.

Notably, a Politico-Harvard survey released in March found a plurality of parents expressing the belief that forced masking “hurts” social learning and interactions of children, as well as their mental and emotional well-being.

The news comes as the Biden administration prepares to appeal U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle’s decision to nix the Biden administration’s federal mask mandate. Notably, no states currently have a statewide mask mandate in place, but the U.S. is still not completely mask-free, as masks rules continue to linger at certain airports, such as LaGuardia Airport, JFK International Airport, and Chicago’s O’Hare.

Residents and visitors of Philadelphia are also still under mask rules, as the city recently reintroduced its indoor mask mandate — one of the first major cities in the country to do so.