Michigan school district mandating masks after community vote

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misstated the number of new coronavirus cases reported in Michigan. Michigan reported a daily average of 19,973 new cases. The U.S. as a whole reported 690,448.

A school district in southwest Michigan is requiring face masks after parents, guardians and staff members voted in favor of doing so.

Pennfield Schools’ policy went into effect Monday and will continue through Feb. 18, according to the district. Masks will be required for students and staff during school hours and will be highly recommended, though not required, for after-school activities or athletic events.

Nearly 58 percent of the 1,041 votes, which were cast on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, were in favor of the requirement.

The district, located in Michigan’s Battle Creek area, has held classes remotely since Jan. 14 but planned to return in person on Monday. The Calhoun County health department reported the district has had at least six COVID-19 outbreaks, according to The Associated Press.

Interim Superintendent Don Myers said fatigue from quarantine requirements could be the reason parents and staffers supported the mask mandate. 

“The majority of people want the masks up because they’re tired of students being quarantined all the time,” Myers said to WWMT-TV, a local CBS affiliate.

“We just want to make Pennfield a good place for our students and a safe place, and we’re doing all that we can to keep the virus down,” he added.

As of Sunday, Michigan, where 63 percent of people are fully vaccinated, reported a daily average of 19,973 cases, a 24 percent increase in the past two weeks, according to The New York Times. Cases in the state have risen sharply this month, driven by the highly-transmissible omicron variant.