Thread by @KyleClark

NEW: Douglas County Schools board meeting is getting heated as anti-maskers berate the school board. As the Board President issued a "last warning" over crowd interruptions, a man was escorted away by a deputy as he waved something at school board members. #9NEWS #COVID19colorado

Parents have threatened to pull their kids from DCSD if the district doesn't drop the mask mandate recommended by the health department. "I'm sure you understand the financial repercussions of this mass exodus," a parent said during public comment.

A mother makes the somewhat bewildering argument that doctors don't support the school mask mandate but that she cannot find a doctor who will sign an exemption for her children.

Multiple parents have said they believe DCSD intentionally started the year without a mask mandate to "lure" parents into sending their kids to school before the mask mandate was imposed.

Parent Sarah Infante says, "We moved here specifically from Denver to get away from masks." Another parent, Lisa Mason, directed DCSD to "align with the Douglas County commissioners." The GOP commissioners voted against their health department's recommendation last week.

The Douglas County Schools board is taking a break from public comment after a series of interruptions from the crowd. As board directors left their seats, they were heckled by the crowd. "This is America!" someone yelled.

Public comment has resumed with the crowd hearing a plea from the school board for decorum. Parent Krista Mann (sp?) kicks things off with a reference to some school staff being the "Mask Gestapo."

Dr. Eiko Browning, via remote video, offered public comment in support of science and masking. The crowd in the room stood and turned their backs in a sign of disapproval.

Another parent offering public comment remotely urged the DCSD board to keep the mask order. "The calm quiet majority have your back but we need you to stay committed to our shared convictions," he said. "Do not give into this and do not give in to the threatening emails."

A parent who told the board that she was born in the USSR issued a warning about the mask mandate. "The socialism is almost here," she said. "Let the parents make the choice."

I'm back from anchoring 9NEWS at 9 and 10pm and the anti-mask mandate public comment continues. Luke Johnson claims the DougCo Schools board has a plan to force students to wear a mask every year of their education due to the seasonal flu.

Andy Jones, who narrowly lost a 2019 school board race, claims there is a sniper on the roof.

Jones claims that the school board called in the police sniper "because you fear the parent voice."

The board has taken another break as the crowd began to shout down board member Krista Holtzmann as she corrected misinformation shared during public comment. To be continued...

The board has returned. Public comment is over. They're voting to approve a change order to a construction project at Highlands Ranch High School. This is a picture of the high school. That concludes my coverage of this meeting. Goodnight, Colorado.