Cherry Creek school board candidate sues district over mask rules

A campaigner with disabilities who is moving for a spot connected the Cherry Creek School District’s committee filed a national suit against the district, seeking a impermanent restraining bid that would let her to tally for the committee without having to deterioration a COVID-19 disguise astatine nationalist forums.

Schumé Navarro, successful a ailment and question for a impermanent restraining bid filed Monday successful U.S. District Court successful Denver, claims that she is “disabled and incapable to deterioration definite look coverings owed to her disabilities.”

A campaigner for the District D seat, Navarro’s disablement stems from “severe kid maltreatment incidents that included suffocation,” according to the complaint. “The disablement causes her to panic and person important trouble concentrating erstwhile her rima oregon chemoreceptor is covered.”

A licensed cosmetologist, Navarro graduated from Cherry Creek High School successful 2004. She owns and operates Peacock Vanity.

“She simply wants to vie connected an adjacent playing tract with the different candidates, without being discriminated against based connected her disabilities,” said Dan Burrows, ineligible manager of Public Trust Institute, a Colorado nonprofit organization. Burrows and PTI correspond Navarro.

Navarro has filed the indispensable documents to tally for the committee and her sanction volition look connected the November 2021 predetermination ballot, according to the complaint.

On Sept. 14, Navarro was instructed to deterioration a disguise astatine a campaigner forum astatine Overland High School. She took it disconnected due to the fact that she was having “difficulty breathing, important anxiety, and overwhelming distraction.” the suit said.

On Sept. 21, the schoolhouse territory sent an email to each committee members saying they indispensable deterioration a disguise portion speaking oregon beryllium considered a “trespasser” and beryllium barred from schoolhouse property, according to the lawsuit.

Navarro is seeking a impermanent restraining bid and preliminary injunction to let her to tally for the committee without wearing a mask. She claims the territory is “unlawfully discriminating against her based connected her disabilities.”