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September 30, 2021
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | SPORTS: PAGE 16
VOLUME 17 | ISSUE 15
County gets injunction against school Court order requires mask wearing, health inspections at Faith Christian Academy BY RYAN DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
and wandering through housing developments. Jeffco Open Space announced the closure of Van Bibber Park at 6:19 p.m. on Sept. 22 and the park’s reopening on Sept. 23 at 10:33 a.m. Animal Management Officer Jennie Whittle said the sightings were likely in response to the same moose due to the similar descriptors given in reports and size of the area form which the reports came. Whittle said that moose wandering into residential areas is not unheard of, especially during Sept.
Jefferson County Public Health was granted a preliminary injunction against Faith Christian Academy by First Judicial District Judge Randall Arp after three days in court on Sept. 23. The injunction requires students, faculty and administrators to follow JCPH’s mask guidelines and allows the department to conduct health inspections at the Arvada-based school. The lawsuit was initially filed by JCPH against FCA and two other schools, Augustine Classical Academy and Beth Eden Baptist School, who were all found to have violated JCPH’s guidelines on masking or contested the department’s impromptu inspections. Augustine Classical and Beth Eden settled with JCPH on Sept. 22, agreeing to allow the department to conduct checks. FCA’s counsel claimed on Sept. 23 that the school would require a few hours’ notice to allow for an administrator to become available to lead a health inspector around the school. FCA Superintendent Andrew Hasz said in his testimony that the school had been complying with JCPH’s mandates, but could not ensure that a faculty member would be available to meet a health inspector without prior notice. JCPH’s counsel argued that giving such notice would undermine the purpose of the inspection by giving the school’s faculty time to correct any violations that were occurring prior to the health inspector’s arrival. Hasz testified that his faculty had the capacity to communicate messages school-wide in a matter of minutes.
SEE MOOSE, P5
SEE SCHOOL, P23
Volunteers work to assemble a bike at the Beesley Bike Build.
PHOTO BY RYAN DUNN
Second graders gifted bikes in honor of officer Wish for Wheels and Townsend partner to host Beesley Bike Build STAFF REPORT
Wish for Wheels — a nonprofit that provides bikes for kids in low-income communi-
ties — partnered with Townsend Retirement Planning to host the Beesley Bike Build at Secrest Elementary School on Sept. 25, building 80 bikes for local 2nd graders. Over 100 volunteers participated in the event, building bikes throughout the afternoon and delivering them to 40 students each at Secrest Elementary and Swanson Elementary. Both were
selected for the bike donation due to them both being Title I schools. Beesley was an avid cyclist and was known to bike with Oberon Middle School students on their way to school during his time as a School Resource Officer there. A representative from Townsend said the event would likely continue on an annual basis to honor the fallen APD officer.
Moose on the loose in Arvada Bull moose spotted in residential neighborhoods, temporarily closes Van Bibber Park STAFF REPORT
A bull moose was spotted multiple times in residential areas in and around Arvada on Sept. 22 and Sept. 23, alarming locals and prompting the temporary closure of Van Bibber Park. No dangerous run-ins with the moose were re-
ported and the moose was not dealt with by authorities. The Arvada Police Department’s Animal Management Team received a call around 8 a.m. on Sept. 22 from a resident who spotted the moose at the intersection of 60th Avenue and Easley Road near Sunrise Ridge Park while headed to work. A second sighting was reported on the evening of Sept. 22 at 60th and Youngfield Street, and a third on the morning of Sept. 23 near Highway 93 and Coal Creek Canyon Road just north of Golden. Social media posts also reported the moose walking through yards