Wauwatosa Requires COVID Vaccines For Visitors But Not Teachers

WAUWATOSA, WI — The Wauwatosa school board's re-entry plan requires COVID-19 vaccines for all outsiders coming into schools — but not for teachers.

The Wauwatosa school board on Aug. 10 voted 7-0 to adopt a plan to mitigate the coronavirus's spread. The plan would require masks if student infection rates reach certain thresholds during the 2021-'22 school year.

If cases are in the "high" category — 100 to 749 cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period — the Wauwatosa School District can require masks for all people indoors, the plan said. If cases reach "high" or "extremely high," the district could even shut schools down.

The district will introduce five tiers of requirements, depending on the infection rate. The highest tier involves canceling field trips and school events and switching to virtual learning, the plan said.

Guest speakers, visitors and volunteers are allowed in schools under levels 1 to 3 only. Visitors and volunteers must provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination. In level 4, visitors and volunteers are allowed by appointment only, according to the re-entry plan posted on the district's website.

It doesn't apply for open houses, parent-teacher conferences, assemblies and concerts.

The district said in Friday in a statement:

"The start of the school year is a hectic time for parents, teachers, office/support staff, and most importantly, our students. August and September are typically marked with introductory meetings between families and district staff, meet the teacher events, and other community-building activities. It’s important that the district minimizes barriers to strengthen the important partnership between families and schools. Further, the start of the school year is a whirlwind for office staff, and any opportunity to reduce the logging of paperwork is advantageous."

Showing proof of vaccination for visitors is not required at this time, the district said.

The first day of school is Wednesday.

Ethan Duran, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.