September 3, 2020
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
CastleRockNewsPress.net
VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 21
High court rebuffs Neville suit over mask order PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK
E-learning teachers express frustration, anxiety One Douglas County educator cites crying by colleagues, high stress BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As Douglas County e-learning teachers geared up for their first
week of classes, starting Aug. 31 after a week-long delay, some expressed frustration and anxiety over the coming weeks, saying their student rosters continued to change, technology presented challenges and expectations from administrators remained unclear. In the preceding two weeks, the Douglas County district had pivoted to a new model for high school elearners, and in middle and elemen-
tary schools, some teachers still didn’t have final rosters for their students or direction on how to grade their assessments as of Friday, Aug. 28, according to district teachers. Now, some teachers interviewed by Colorado Community Media are describing themselves and their colleagues as -- in the words of one -- “at a breaking point.” SEE TEACHERS, P6
Castle Rock council leaves vacancy open for now Loban’s seat to be filled in upcoming election BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
One seat on the Castle Rock Town Council will remain empty the
remainder of this year after councilmembers debated the appropriateness of filling a council vacancy weeks before the next council election. District 1 Councilmember Jess Loban left his council position on Aug. 31 because his family is moving out of state. Councilmembers Loban and Kevin Bracken recommended the council
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 14
appoint local school administrator Ryan Hollingshead for the remainder of his term. But at an Aug. 18 meeting, multiple councilmembers expressed concern with filling the vacancy before November’s council election and said it should remain vacant. SEE COUNCIL, P3
Castle Rock lawmaker says he will refile case against Polis in another court BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
The Colorado Supreme Court on Aug. 30 refused to hear a lawsuit filed by top statehouse Republican Patrick Neville of Castle Rock and a conservative activist challenging Gov. Jared Polis’ statewide mask mandate. The court made its decision less than two days after the lawsuit was filed by Neville, the Colorado House minority leader, and Michelle Malkin of Colorado Springs. Neville and Malkin, represented by attorney and Colorado Republican National Committeeman Randy Corporon, alleged that Polis violated the required separation between the legislative and executive branches when he issued the mask mandate more than a month ago. The lawsuit was filed directly to the Colorado Supreme Court, which legal experts told The Colorado Sun was an extremely unusual, if not unheard of, move that made the chances of it being heard highly unlikely. In the lawsuit, Neville and Malkin said they would take the case to a SEE NEVILLE, P24