Per President Biden’s Executive Order, any passenger traveling via public transportation must wear a mask while onboard the vehicle. The Center for Disease Control has reinforced that School Buses and School District Transportation Vehicles are considered public transportation; therefore:
Effective Immediately: All passengers and drivers must wear a mask on Wautoma Area School District Buses and other School District Transportation Vehicles until further notice. This expectation has also been reinforced by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA).
A driver does not need to wear a mask if they are the only person on the bus or any other district vehicle.
Wautoma Area School District Administration consulted with three attorneys from different firms about the ability for local control to make mask wearing optional on school district transportation. These attorneys instructed the District Administration to comply with the Executive Order at this time.
This change will be made in the 2021-2022 WASD COVID-19 Mitigation Plan located on the District Website.
Tom Rheinheimer, District Administrator