The Winona Area Public Schools board took the first steps toward a possible referendum Tuesday night, at times tossing off the hard hats of a construction crew focusing only on maintenance projects and instead discussing how to create spaces where students want to be.

Beginning Thursday, July 1, 2021, Winona Area Public Schools will not require students, staff and visitors to wear masks while in school buildings. 

In April, many of the third- and fourth-grade students in the elementary schools presented their long-awaited projects for the 2021 Project Fair. For some of the fourth graders, the planning process began last school year.