DE PERE, Wis. (NBC 26) -- After more than two hours of public discussion regarding the district's decision to reopen schools on Oct. 19, the West De Pere school board re-voted 4-1 in favor of in-person instruction effective this Monday.
The school board called a special meeting to be held Saturday evening after the De Pere Health Department formally advised against returning to in-person classes in a Friday evening press release.
The special meeting was held both in person at the West De Pere High School auditorium and livestreamed over Zoom.
Director Deborah Armbruster said this following statement with support from Mayor James Boyd:
“The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warns that there is currently uncontrolled spread of SARS-CoV-2 in much of our country, and we share their concern. What that unfortunately means, quite simply, is that while we all advocate and hope for in-person learning for our children due to numerous recognized mental, social and psychological benefits, the current widespread circulation of this virus will not permit in-person learning to be safely accomplished in many jurisdictions, including ours. De Pere is not an exception. The virus is here in our City and neighboring region, and spreading at unsafe levels. The De Pere Health Department cannot recommend in-person instruction at this time as a result."
The West De Pere schools were shut down for two weeks as coronavirus cases spiked in Brown County. The school board then voted to return to in-person instruction on Oct. 13.
