Shouting, police officers and tears: Bluffs school board meeting turns into an anti-mask demonstrati

Tuesday’s meeting of the Council Bluffs Community School District Board of Education took a turn during a discussion about masks, as anti-mask attendees began yelling at board members.

Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 15, all Council Bluffs Community School District students, staff and visitors will be expected to wear masks at school during school hours when physical distancing is not possible to help control the spread of the coronavirus, according to a message from Superintendent Vickie Murillo sent to staff and parents Tuesday morning. The move came after a federal judge blocked enforcement of Iowa’s ban on school mask mandates Monday.

Board President Chris LaFerla told the crowd that the district was a defendant in the federal case in which a judge blocked enforcement of the Iowa law that bars school districts from mandating the use of masks.

“After this ruling, we are faced with very real legal liability if we do not use masks,” he said.

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At about this point in the meeting, LaFerla called a recess.

“Are you guys really prepared for all those lawsuits?” one man said. “Show me the science that shows masks work. It ain’t going to save you. You guys are stirring up a fight -- and I’m going to fight.

“We can vote these people out today,” he told the crowd. He asked for a second and a third, then a hand vote. “They’ve failed everybody!”

The crowd could not, in fact, vote out the board at the meeting.

As more people began yelling, the board members quietly left the room, followed by school employees. A police officer entered and stood at the side of the seats, watching. Then two more entered, then another.

https://nonpareilonline.com/news/education/shouting-police-officers-and-tears-bluffs-school-board-meeting-turns-into-an-anti-mask-demonstration/article_ec6a6014-15cc-11ec-bccb-07a1dff80f32.html




Video of the mayhem here: https://www.wowt.com/video/2021/09/15/meeting-mayhem-over-mask-mandate/