BOULDER, Colo. — Recall petitions have been filed to recall three of the seven Boulder Valley School District Board of Education directors, according to the district.
The petitions were filed to recall Vice President Kathy Gebhardt, District C; Richard Garcia, District G and Lisa Sweeney-Miran, District A, over decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the district, the reasons for recall stated on the petitions include not listening to dissenting parent opinions, mandating masks indefinitely, promoting COVID-19 vaccinations and more.
The BVSD requires masks for all students ages 2 and up due to a public health order issued by Boulder Public Health on Aug. 9.
The board members have already submitted a rebuttal, which says that the members reject the recall effort because of “a potential threat to public health, a distraction for our community, and a waste of Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) monetary resources of at least $750,000.”
If a recall election is successfully triggered, it will be held separately from the already scheduled Nov. 2 election. According to the school district, the estimated cost for the recall election is $768,000, which has not been budgeted.
In a statement, Sweeney-Miran said, in part: “The waste, distraction, and public health threat presented by this recall petition cannot be undone, and I will support my colleagues in fighting these recall efforts which are absolutely counter to the needs of our school district and community.”
A petition has been filed to recall me and two other BVSD board members in opposition to our safety-first and science-based stance during this pandemic. I reject this recall effort as a potential threat to public health and a waste of BVSD resources. 1/ https://t.co/gxttxqF5EH
— Lisa Sweeney-Miran (@LSweeneyMiran) September 15, 2021
For the recall election to successfully be triggered, petitioners must resubmit petitions with the responses from the Board members, collect 15,000 signatures within 60 days for each petition and the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder must verify signatures, according to the district.
"The Boulder Valley School District respects the voices of our community members and their democratic rights, including their ability to recall members of the Board of Education, under Colorado law," the district said.
