Douglas County School Board Taking Up Mask Debate, Again
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - The subject is controversial. The debate is heated. The political maneuvering is extensive. Now, four members of the seven-member Douglas County school board are new and seen as more conservative. They also hold the majority.
Becky Myers, Dougco School Board Secretary, spoke at a study session last week.
"What we are voted in and being honorable to what we were voted in for they need to see that we are stepping up and doing something for the community that has asked us. That is why we want to start right now with our mask mandate," she said.
The school board is considering changing its mask policies for students - eliminating the mask requirement.
The resolution calls for no universal mask policy, no vaccine mandate and individual determination how to handle students with unique circumstances, such as disabilities.
Terrance Boyd has a student at Castle Rock Elementary. He said the constant changing of the mask rules is confusing. He told CBS4 he doesn't understand why they are being changed from one minute to the next.
The school year started with a mask requirement. Douglas County then left Tri-County Health and formed its own health department which loosened the mask requirements. That was knocked down in a federal court lawsuit by the school district.
Now there's new people running the school board.
At last week's study session, Mike Peterson, the Dougco school board president said, "For expectations for anybody who thinks we are going to have a meeting Tuesday or Wednesday kids are the going back to school unmasked that's unrealistic it's not legally responsible."
Peterson says they want to implement changes carefully.
Nearly 100 people indicated they want to take part in the public comment at Tuesday night's school board meeting. As of 10 p.m., members were still discussing.