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Authorities in Eagle Country, Colorado, will be boosting the police presence at schools when students return to class. The Eagle County Sheriff's Office said it will station extra deputies at elementary and middle schools over concerns that tensions may boil over as officials try to enforce a mask mandate for all students and staff members.
The Eagle County School District said that when students at all K-8 schools return to class on Monday (August 16), they will be required to wear masks. Officials cited the rising number of cases in children due to the Delta variant as one reason for putting the mandate in place. The district said the mask mandate was the only way they could safely allow a return to in-person learning five days a week.
"Our hearts go out to the families who were so recently affected by the virus," said Superintendent Philip Qualman. "We said there were specific metrics we'd follow and when and if they changed, we would change our policies. Unfortunately, here we are. As has been the case since the beginning of the pandemic, this disease does not care about our schedules or when school starts. Nevertheless, we regret the short notice," said Qualman.
After the new policy was announced last week, officials said there were "increased tensions" and that they were expecting people to protest the mandate outside of the schools. While law enforcement officials said they will allow people to protest, they want to "keep the peace" and ensure the protesters do not interfere with the schools.
"Our goal is the same as yours, getting our children back to school safely," the sheriff's department said in a statement. "Law enforcement is requesting that persons who are wishing to express their opinions not interfere or interrupt the freedom of movement and the functions of the schools."