Dozens of students participated in the walkout on Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday morning, students at ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch participated in a walkout to protest the Tri-County Health Department's face mask mandate. It was voted by Tri-County Health to require masks for all students, regardless of vaccination status.

“This is going to be the third year of my high school that is compromised. I want a normal high school career. If you are scared, you can stay home,” one student said.

Students walked out of class around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday and were joined by students from Ranch View Middle School and their parents.

Around the same time as ThunderRidge's walkout, students at Legend High School also conducted a protest against the mask mandate.

Douglas County Schools told local news outlets, "The Douglas County School District continues to balance the challenges of the ongoing COVID pandemic. We will follow the recent public health order issued by the Tri-County Health Department, which requires all students and staff in preschool through twelfth-grade to wear a mask while inside school buildings. Additionally, we will work with our families and staff members who cannot tolerate a mask due to medical or mental health reasons. Our goal is to keep our students and staff in the classroom for in-person learning."

Tri-County Health also issued a statement, "We understand that some parents and students are frustrated and disagree with the mask requirement, but masks provide protection and prevent the spread of disease which allows students to remain in school where they learn best."

The mask mandate took effect on September 1; it's expected to remain until the end of the year.

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