August 26, 2021
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
HighlandsRanchHerald.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
VOLUME 34 | ISSUE 38
Residents weigh in on redistricting maps Many attendees advocated for county, municipalities to remain whole BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A crowd fills the Douglas County Board of Commissioners hearing room on Aug. 19.
PHOTO BY JESSICA GIBBS
Schools keep mask order despite county opt-out DCSD superintendent says district must follow health order
ing masks for young students and their teachers as a COVID-19 safety measure, the local school district says it plans to keep that order in place. In an Aug. 20 letter to the community, Douglas County School District Superintendent Corey Wise reinforced an earlier announcement that the district would adhere to the latest public health order from Tri-County Health De-
BY ELLIOTT WENZLER AND JESSICA GIBBS EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
While Douglas County has opted out of a public health order requir-
partment despite county commissioners’ unanimous opt-out vote on Aug. 19. That Tri-County Health order, approved Aug. 17, requires masks to be worn among children ages 2 through 11 in any indoor school or childcare setting. Staff members who work with that age group were also included in the order, which SEE SCHOOLS, P18
Coach claims Valor forced him out for being gay School officials say his sexuality does not align with Valor Christian beliefs BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Inoke Tonga, until recently the volleyball coach at Valor Christian
High School in Highlands Ranch, claimed through social media that he was forced to leave his job because he is gay. In an Aug. 21 post seen on his
Facebook and Instragram accounts, Tonga said that after coaching the private school’s girls
Douglas County residents and leaders came together Aug. 18 to provide input for the once-a-decade redistricting process during a public hearing with the commissions in charge of drawing the new district boundaries. For the first time, twin independent redistricting commissions — instead of the state legislature — are creating the districts for Colorado’s state legislative and congressional districts. Among the 35 speakers who signed up to speak at the meeting in Ranch View Middle School in Highlands Ranch were the Douglas County commissioners, the mayor of Parker, Wind Crest Senior Living Community residents, former state Sen. John Evans and Stu Parker, the chairman of the county’s Republican Party. Speakers were given three minutes to speak and were then asked questions by the commission. The commissions released preliminary maps June 23 and are now in the process of hearing from the public. The commissions’ maps must be approved by the Colorado Supreme Court no later than Dec. 15
SEE COACH, P22
SEE MAPS, P13
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