Eagle County sheriff’s deputies will man schools Monday amid mask mandate tension

The Eagle County Sheriff’s bureau volition nonstop deputies to the commencement of schoolhouse Monday amid mounting hostility implicit the schoolhouse district’s newly-announced disguise mandate for simple and mediate schools.

The deputies volition purpose to “keep the peace” arsenic students instrumentality to class, sheriff’s bureau spokeswoman Amber Barrett said Sunday, adding that the accrued instrumentality enforcement beingness is intended arsenic a preventative measure.

“The tensions person conscionable been truly precocious implicit the play since the schoolhouse committee announced they’d beryllium requiring masks,” she said. “There’s been rather a batch of chatter connected societal media, everything from trying to instrumentality a walk-out to gathering up to successful a circumstantial determination to stitchery and dependable their opinions. We don’t person immoderate threats of unit oregon thing of that nature.”

Eagle County School District connected Friday announced that students, teachers, unit and visitors astatine the district’s simple and mediate schools would beryllium required to deterioration masks erstwhile classes statesman Monday.

Superintendent Philip Qualman said successful a connection that the last-minute change was made due to the fact that of rising cases of COVID-19 successful the county, and said a disguise mandate allows schools to proceed to springiness in-person acquisition 5 days a week.

“Some whitethorn not hold with this alteration and whitethorn with to explicit their feelings publicly,” a schoolhouse territory quality merchandise read. “The territory asks that protests beryllium directed astatine locations different than schools. It is imperative that schools statesman connected Monday without disruption oregon further affectional accent connected students and staff.”

Qualman did not instantly instrumentality a petition for remark Sunday. Matthew Miano, schoolhouse territory spokesman, said successful an email that officials were declining interviews Sunday and aiming “to effort and support this contented apolitical and enactment the information of our students and our staff.”

Barrett said deputies don’t program connected policing disguise wearing astatine the schools Monday, but alternatively volition beryllium focused connected ensuring schoolhouse concern goes connected unimpeded. She said the sheriff’s bureau volition purpose to person astatine slightest 1 lawman astatine astir of the mediate and simple schools and expects immoderate parents volition amusement up with signs to protest.

“As agelong arsenic they’re not interfering with the day-to-day activities with parents, teachers and unit getting successful and retired of the building, arsenic agelong arsenic they’re not disrupting schoolhouse functions, it shouldn’t beryllium a large deal,” Barrett said. “People are allowed to dependable their opinions. They conscionable cannot beryllium impeding postulation oregon the travel successful and retired of the school.”

The Front Range has seen a fistful of protests implicit schoolhouse disguise mandates they’ve been announced crossed the region. Earlier this month, about 300 parents protested Jeffco Public Schools’ determination to necessitate masks for students ages 3 to 11.

Mask mandates person besides been announced astatine Cherry Creek School District, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Aurora Public Schools, Boulder Valley School District and Denver Public Schools, among others.