The Douglas County Health Department on Wednesday tried to plot a course of action regarding its public health order — currently blocked by a judge — requiring the school district to let parents exempt their children from having to wear masks in class.
But after a two-hour-plus executive session, the board of health was unable to come up with a plan about what to do next. It is scheduled to meet again Friday — the same day a federal judge has called all parties in the case back to his courtroom.
In the meantime, a new school board is less than three weeks away from taking over the 64,000-student Douglas County School District. The Nov. 2 election was won by a slate of four conservative candidates who oppose mask mandates, and they will be the majority on the seven-member board.
One of those candidates, Becky Myers, said she doesn’t know yet what she and her colleagues will be able to do about the ongoing litigation over masks, given a federal judge’s decision last month to halt implementationof Douglas County’s public health order.
“I don’t think our hands are totally tied yet,” Myers said Wednesday. “Hopefully the seven of us are going to work together for what’s best for the kids.”
