BONDUEL, WI- The Bonduel School District voted 5-2 to move to an optional masking environment. The decision came after a group of concerned parents of the district spoke in favor of doing so.
One of those parents was Nikki Bougie.
“It is my child, it is not Shawano County’s child, not the school’s child, it is my child and I should have the right to decide for my child,” she said.
“I have my child’s best interest in mind,” said Nicole Onesti. “I want the choice. I am a responsible adult and I want the right to be able to weigh the benefits and the consequences myself.”
Onesti said at first, she supported masking.
“The beginning of the school year, I was all for masking to get our kids back face to face, but things have changed,” Onesti said. “Our cases are going down and our staff is getting vaccinated.”
Bougie also shared a personal experience with the board.
“I feel I failed as a parent because I have been so concerned about making sure that everyone is safe, that I forced my kids to wear a mask, and now my youngest child’s doctors told me that he cannot wear a mask because him wearing one made his respiratory levels above normal.”
Bougie brought in mannequins to show the board how the kids are wearing masks improperly.
“Why are we making them wear them if they are not wearing them properly.”
The parents also brought in dishes with outcomes of swabs taken from their kids masks. The dishes showed that bacteria was forming on the masks.
Photo Courtesy of Nicole Onesti
The board was happy that we just did not complain. “They brought science projects, one board member said.”
Bougie said one of the four masks she brought in came from a box that warned caution for danger of cancer and infertility.
“Can you tell me which mask is the one that came from that box,” she asked? “You can’t can you?
One argument to keeping the making in place is that the school year is almost over.
“I don’t care,” said Onesti. “Our kids have been doing this for nine months and it is long enough. Covid is here to stay, and we are going to have to deal with it for a long time, so at what point to we say it is okay to take off the masks.”
Onesti said she was excited to share the news with her daughter.
“She was jumping up and down she was so exited that she does not have to wear a mask in school much longer.”
Bougie said she felt the parents speaking to the board made a difference and said parents in other school districts that are currently running with a mask mandate can do the same thing.
“You have to be respectful and you have to bring the facts,” Bougie said. “You can’t just speak from your emotions, you have to be able to give facts.”
After hearing from the parents, the board did not have much discussion on the issue before voting.
Nicole Onesti’s Message to the Bonduel School Board
Nikki Bougie’s Message to the Bonduel School Board
Onesti and Bougie explain the science that they brought to the board’s attention.
Here are some of the parent’s comments to the board.
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