Bridgman schools enact mask mandate, citing quarantine surge

BRIDGMAN, Mich. — Bridgman schools has made masks mandatory again for all students and staffers.

The move was made because so many kids got quarantined they had to temporarily shut down an elementary school.

Bridgman’s superintendent cited the issue that’s plagued every school, with those quarantine numbers surging in their district in recent weeks and keeping too many kids out of class. 

Superintendent Shane Peters gave families the news via email Sunday night, discussing the importance of in-person learning and that a universal mask mandate will “take advantage of modified quarantine procedures.”

But some parents aren’t happy about the continued changes to masking and quarantine.  

“That’s where kids are missing school, because of the quarantine procedures,” said Melissa Fritz. 

More recent quarantine guidelines allow students who are close contacts with a positive case, but were masked and remain asymptomatic, to remain in school.  

“We had gone to him weeks before when the numbers were getting high and he did nothing about it,” said parent Becky Wedde, who believed the continued increase in quarantines was creating too much disruption in students’ ability to learn.  

“My son was quarantined last week along with many other elementary students – they went virtual for three days – and now the whole fifth grade is virtual.” 

But some parents still want the mask decision to continue being made by the families. 

“There are parents who have pulled their kids out of Bridgman because of things that have gone on this year and we’re kind of leaning toward that,” said Fritz.  

Superintendent Peters did not list an end date to the mandate in his letter, but did offer some exemptions like when attending a school board meeting or with a letter from an MD or DO.

When contacted for comment Tuesday, Peters informed ABC57 he was out of office.