Dozens of Wisconsin parent groups reject lockdowns and required masking in an open letter to Gov. Tony Evers

In an open letter to President Joe Biden and Gov. Tony Evers, 38 Wisconsin parent organizations rejected "forced masking and lockdowns" detailing that the actions of lawmakers were "objectively cruel."

Following newly revised mask guidance from the CDC, parents from school districts across the state said they would no longer submit to restrictions of their freedom through mask requirements.

In their letter, parents said, "We will not allow you to use your private sector counterparts to enforce invasive mask mandates on our children in various stores or at community activities and subject our children to any further local, regional, or national lockdowns or movement restriction."

The CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Updating their suggestion to K-12 institutions earlier this week, they said, children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place.

With the increasing number of delta variant cases emerging in the state and continued resistance to vaccinations, state and national lawmakers have supported increased masked requirements.

In recent days, many businesses, schools and public organizations have taken to CDC guidance; however, consensus on the matter has not been shared widely across political lines.

Early next week, Wisconsin state Sen. Steve Nass, chair of the administrative rulemaking committee, plans to propose a plan that requires UW System schools to submit any mandatory pandemic regulations to the Republican-led rulemaking committee for approval.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R) issued a statement criticizing the "new mask mandate" on Wednesday. "It's time to let Americans, not federal agencies, make decisions for themselves and for their children. Time to reclaim liberty and end this state of fear,” he said.

Johnson has also regularly criticized COVID-19 vaccinations. In an interview with Fox News on Friday evening, after being asked if he would support a nationwide vaccine mandate, Johnson said, "Not unless there’s some incredibly deadly disease. I mean much higher infection-fatality rates than we have with Covid.”  

Even though the guidance by the CDC will not formally require or force individuals to wear masks if they do not want to, the messaging has led to a ramping up of restrictions in public spaces and high attendance events.

On Friday, the music festival Lollapalooza, which started its festival run in Chicago on Thursday, stated that it would require masks in indoor spaces on its grounds. The festival is heavily attended by high school and college-aged students who will return to school in the coming weeks.  

At University of Wisconsin System schools, institutions have not put in place a mask or vaccine mandate, but are encouraging students to get vaccinated. This fall, UW-Madison will allow students who are vaccinated to not follow weekly COVID-19 testing requirements.

Private institutions like Marquette University and Beloit College will require vaccines.

With students returning to school in August, finding ways to protect students and academic staff from COVID-19 remains a priority in many states and school districts.

Since June of 2021, Milwaukee Public Schools shared that they would require students to wear masks in the classroom when they return for in-person classes in the fall. Throughout the summer, MPS also hosted vaccine clinics for community members ages 12 and up. 

Many schools are still working to determine if their preset plans for the upcoming semester will change in response to new variants.

On July 29, more than a thousand cases of COVID-19 were added to the tracking system in Wisconsin, making the seven-day average 638 cases per day.