A private Christian school in Loveland, Colorado is planning to file a lawsuit against the local health department after it was forced to issue a mask order on students threatening an impending shutdown.
Parents at the Resurrection Christian School in Loveland, Colorado, were told on Sept. 15 that everyone entering the school building the next day must wear a mask. Order Larry County Health Department, or their school will be closed. The order is approved for medical exemption but there is no difference in terms of vaccine status or acquired disease resistance.
That same evening, school superintendent Jerry Ishleman was sworn in Video message Parents and staff to fight the health department’s order in court. He urged the parents to abide by the public health order for the time being so that the school year of the students is not disrupted by forcibly closing the school during the litigation.
“We are fighting for the right of parents to decide whether to wear a mask or not. It is not political. This is not a pro versus anti-mask or vaccination issue, ”Ishleman wrote in an email to The Epoch Times. “It simply came to our notice then. Established by our constitution and what we think is rooted in our Judeo-Christian principles.
According to Corey Wilford, a spokeswoman for the health department, the public health order came after weeks of fighting between health officials and Ishleman over the school’s 1,600 pre-war to prevent the spread of its CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. School through twelfth grade students and 160 staff members.
“The RCS (Resurrection Christian School) was a good partner to work with us, but they are very keen on wearing masks,” he told The Epoch Times. “They have made it very clear that they will not obey the order of the mask.”
Wilford said that when it was determined that all grade levels in the RCS met the standards of the “outbreak” status of disease control and prevention centers, it was time to act decisively and issue a mask order to the school. An outbreak is defined in five or more cases in a class or school.
“We don’t want to be big, bad wolves, but we have a duty under Colorado amended laws and regulations to prevent this outbreak from continuing,” he said.
Wilford said the mask order is a way to “keep kids in school” so they can get instructions in person. The day after the public health order, the school complied with the mask order, which included closure threats.
“Of course, we always want voluntary consent. “We have the power to issue closure notices, but not punitive,” Wilford said.
The Public Health Order cites a state law that allows county health departments to “close schools and public places and prohibit public gatherings to protect public health.”
Mike Riggs, father of two high school boys admitted to RCS, told The Epoch Times that the health department’s move “takes us one step further into becoming an authoritarian state church.”
“The masks and distance orders imposed by Larimer County officials make no sense,” Riggs said. “For a year and a half, county officials have been preaching, ‘Follow science!’ But science does not support wearing a mask. ”
Riggs said he believes that if his boys are forced to wear masks for hours on school days, they will be harmed by breathing too much carbon dioxide as well as accumulating high bacteria inside the masks.
“We will continue to fight for our kids,” Riggs said.
Since the interview, both of Riggs’ sons have received medical exemptions from family physicians.
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have issued statewide school mask orders, according to information obtained by Barbio. School masks orders are banned in five states. The problem lies in legal complications in several other cases. There are no statewide orders in Colorado.
Two sons, Carl and Vicky Sutter, have also been admitted to RCS.
Carl Sutter, a local priest, argued behind a Christian’s religious objection to the mask order: “Parents God has placed parents in charge of the welfare and well-being of their children. Children are indebted to us from God. We cannot break that trust with a good conscience. We will not bow to the government. We will find the resources to legally challenge the order of the Department of Health. ”
Vicky Sutter has concerns about the political impact of this order.
“The county is trying to run a wedge between parents and children,” he told The Epoch Times.
He noted comparisons between the activities of the Department of Health and the strategy of the communist dictator Vladimir Lenin, where the Bolsheviks expressed the need to “rescue children from the harmful effects of the family” and how to bring children into the “beneficial influence” With the goal of “forcing.”
“Children are not born to the government, they are born to parents,” he said. “It is our responsibility to make decisions about their health.
“If we abandon our role as parents for the ‘beneficial effect’ of Larimer County, it would be an insult to God and contrary to our beliefs.”
The national debate over the school mask mandate is sharply divided politically, with Democrats widely in favor of the mandate and Republicans fiercely opposed to it. The administration of Democratic President Joe Biden has been directly involved in the fight for state-level mandates. The administration has begun returning school funds for lost funds in defiance of state sanctions on school masks. Biden’s education secretary, Miguel Cardona, launched several “directed” investigations into states where the school mask order has been banned.
Like many of the 100 families enrolled at RCS, parents Richard and Christy Fagerlin made significant sacrifices when they chose Christian education for their four children at RCS, where tuition can run from $ 8,000 to $ 10,000 per student per year. .
According to Richard Fagerlin, the 1/2-year-old epidemic restriction was especially difficult for his two sons who have not yet graduated.
“I think they have suffered because of the Kovid restrictions. They lost the chance to play in the state football championship. Both of our sons have lost their recruitment time because of this ban, ”he told the Epoch Times.
“The kids were looking forward to getting back to normal this year,” said Christy Fagerlin. “They were very happy. Of course, we had a few cases, and here we go again with strict restrictions and mask orders. “It’s unethical to tell us they know what’s best for our kids.”
“Science and information are clear,” her husband added. “Kids are at very low risk from the virus and we family members are at very low risk from them.
“What is going on here and across the country is a struggle for righteousness. We must stand tall for the truth. Our First Amendment rights are being violated, ”he said. “This fight is not for masks. It exaggerates the decision of the parents. “
According to the Constitution, the aggrieved or interested party has ag0 days from the date of the order to request judicial review in Larry County District Court; However, the party must comply with the order while the request is pending.
Ivan Pentchokov contributed to this report.
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Steven Kovac is a seasoned reporter covering the state of Michigan. He is a former small businessman, local elected official and conservative political activist. He is an appointed minister of the gospel. Steven and his wife of 32 years have two older daughters.
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This News Originally From – The Epoch Times
