KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education has finally had a lively debate over wearing masks, but it was the trustees, and not the parents who were arguing.
The board has been reviewing whether to keep their mask mandate every two weeks now that health officials have lifted most of their advisories.
COVID-19 update chart April 20, 2022
Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri renewed her recommendation to keep the mask mandate in place, for now, based on the latest COVID-19 statistics.
Despite that, trustee Ken Greschak made the motion to drop the mandate…forcefully arguing that masks are no longer relevant.
But trustee Megan Maddock insisted that’s exactly why they must wear them in class.
The board defeated Greschak’s motion and voted 5 to 2 to continue the mask mandate at least until their next meeting on May 4th.
Right now four of the seven members of the board say they made a promise to parents to keep the masks in place for the rest of the school year, and so its likely that with 34-school days left, the kids will remain masked until summer break.
It was the most passionate Kalamazoo Board of Education members have gotten over the masking issue, a debate that has been white hot in many other school districts.
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