District 12 parents protest over mask requirements

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Parents protested outside of Cheyenne Mountain Junior High School on Wednesday morning, saying they're not happy with District 12's decision to require masks in the classroom.

Mary Louise Fiddler, who helped organize the protest, says she doesn't think the COVID-19 numbers in Colorado Springs warrant the mandate.

"I feel like it was an overreach, and an overstep, and too soon to even consider. I’m not trying to be unreasonable, but it’s too much too soon. It made no sense to mandate masks for us- for our children," said Fiddler.

Meanwhile, El Paso County Public Health leaders said there's a surge in Delta variant cases, and the COVID-19 incidence rate in the county has been steadily ticking up, increasing by 20% over the last week.

Last week before school started, the district sent out a letter to families in the district and said they'll continue to monitor the situation and update guidelines as necessary.

Parents for the mask mandate say it's the best way to keep kids protected, especially the ones who can't get vaccinated right now.

"My perspective is we need to protect the most vulnerable in our community who maybe can't get the vaccine or are immunocompromised. That's why I think it's so important and it's an easy step that we can take to keep those people safe," said Allison Curtis, a district 12 parent.

KRDO spoke over the phone with D12 Superintendent Dr. David Peak, he says, "We really believe right now we're taking the best approach to care for our students. To date, we've only had four quarantines. While there can be discomfort in wearing a face covering the trade-off is we believe we're maximizing kids and teachers being in-person. We believe that's the best position for our district, and we're experiencing a reduction in students and staff being quarantined."