After nearly four hours of public comment, the Douglas County Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to opt out of a mask mandate for younger students and the staff that work with them.

The order was instituted Thursday, after the Tri-County Board of Health — which oversees Douglas, Arapahoe and Adams counties — voted to require masks for children 11 and younger in school and child care settings, as well as for the adults they work with. Immediately after that vote, Douglas County’s three commissioners signaled they would opt out of that mandate, as it’s done previously.

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The commissioners — and many of the 55 anti-mask mandate speakers — argued that parents in Douglas County should make their own decision for their children, rather than require masks in schools. In all, just five people spoke in favor of sticking with the mandate, commissioner Lora Thomas said. 

“My view is that my job is not to stand in your way, to shackle your children with unreasonable restrictions,” commissioner Abe Laydon said when public comment ended. “That is my job, to get out of your way and empower your decisions.”

Tri-County Board of Health approves motion to require masks for young children in schools, child care settings

He added that the board would not be “swayed” by clickbait or “sensational national news media.” 

Thomas added that the board had to give Tri-County Health one year’s notice before pulling away and establishing its own public health agency. She hinted the board would take that step in the coming months.

Rep. Mark Baisley, who represents Douglas and Teller counties in the state House, told the board that Tri-County was “obsessed with the pandemic” and that he didn’t have much faith in it. 

Many of the comments centered on the mental health effects on children, while others focused on the parents’ role in deciding what’s best for them. But the most repeated refrain was: Enough is enough. 

“Enough is enough,” one woman told the board. “This will never end. If we let them, our children will continue to wear make until they don’t remember a time when they weren’t required.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state Department of Public Health and Environment, and a broad coalition of health care organizations in Colorado have recommended or supported masking in schools. 

Douglas County School District, which had previously not instituted a mask requirement, can either follow along and opt out, or stick to Tri-County’s order. Commissioner George Teal asked board staff to draft a motion directing the school district to follow the county’s lead.