October 29, 2021
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 48
School district sues county health dept. over masks Federal judge grants request to block order A fire at a farm in Parker destroyed a haunted house on Oct. 25, 2021.
COURTESY OF SOUTH METRO FIRE RESCUE
Fire destroys Halloween attraction in Parker South Metro Fire Rescue calls blaze ‘suspicious’ BY MARK HARDEN MHARDEN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A Halloween attraction at a Parker farm was destroyed by a large fire early Oct. 25, South Metro
Fire Rescue reported. The agency called the fire “suspicious.” The fire burned the Fright Acres haunted house at Flat Acres Farm, at at 11321 Dransfeldt Road, near Twenty Mile Road and Parker Road, the agency said. No injuries or evacuations were reported and the structure was said to be unoccuplied at the time. Firefighters were called at about
Eight candidates running for Douglas County School Board took part in the last of three forums organized by school district students, held at Legend High School in Parker. Kids First candidates Becky Myers, Mike Peterson, Christy Williams and Kaylee Winegar debated CommUNITY Matters candidates Kevin Leung, Krista Holtzmann,
The Douglas County School District and families of students at high risk of COVID-19 have sued the county’s new health department in federal court, alleging a public health order allowing people to opt out of masking rules in the county violates civil rights of students with disabilities. And on Oct. 26, a federal judge granted the district’s request, temporarily blocking enforcement of the county health department’s order, which also limited quarantines for people exposed to COVID-19. The school district’s goal is to go back to its policy requiring universal masking among people age 2 and older in its buildings as a COVID safety measure. That policy allows medical exemptions to masking. “No parent should be forced to choose between sending their children to school and risking their health, and no family should have to choose between access to learning and putting their child’s life in jeopardy,” DCSD Board President David Ray said in a statement when the suit was filed. “The message is simple: In these very complex times, our most vulnerable children cannot be left behind.”
SEE FORUM, P13
SEE MASKS, P15
1:22 a.m. to Flat Acres Farm and found a brush fire under way involving bales of straw amid “very gusty winds,” according to South Metro Fire Rescue. Parker police, Douglas County sheriff’s deputies and members of the nearby Franktown Fire Protection District were also on the scene SEE FIRE, P31
Sex-ed views differ at school board candidate forum 8 candidates running for district seats in Nov. 2 election BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Douglas County School Board candidates answered questions about much-discussed topics at an
Oct. 25 forum — like equity in education, COVID-19 mitigation strategies, youth mental health and employee compensation. But the first question of the evening asked candidates for their perspectives on updating comprehensive human-sexuality education policies in the district.
A NAIL-BITER IN PARKER Chaparral game comes down to final seconds
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BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
ELECTION RESULTS ONLINE
After polls close Nov. 2, visit ColoradoCommunityMedia. com for local election coverage and results