September 29, 2021 4:20 a.m.

An effort is underway to recall Winston-Dillard School District Board Chair Brian West and Vice-Chair Curt Stookey.

Douglas County Clerk Daniel Loomis said the Chief Petitioner is fellow board member Jasmine Geyer. Loomis said his office approved the petitions to be circulated for signatures last Friday.

Geyer said the effort is nothing personal against the two board members who she said “…are longstanding members of our community and are good people”.  However, Geyer said the pair will not vote to end state mandates in the schools.

Geyer’s Winston-Dillard School Board Position 2 Facebook page said, “No more saying our hands are tied. These are our kids and our tax dollars and we decide when the mandates are over. The freedoms to mask or not mask, vaccinate or not vaccinate were always ours so if you agree that these medical decisions are best left up to each individual please join your community in this recall effort so we can appoint board members who are able to take a stand in defending our kids from Kate Brown”.

West told News Radio 1240 KQEN he is pretty disappointed with the recall effort. West said he would prefer that board members could work through the issues and believes having a recall campaign is unfair. West said if what are now state mandates were an area the board had control over, he would personally make both masks in schools and teacher vaccination optional. However, West said he is not willing to see the board “go rogue” and risk action being taken by state agencies which could result in students having to go back to Comprehensive Distance Learning.

In a written statement, Stookey said, “I fully support our boards desire to self-govern locally. However, after meeting with the school district’s attorney, it is clear to me that opposing these temporary mandates would put our ultimate mission of educating our children at risk”.

Loomis said Geyer must submit 640 signatures on each petition to get a recall election on the ballot. He said the deadline for submitting signatures is December 22nd.

Links to Geyer’s Position 2 Facebook page, Stookey’s full written statement, and West’s Stop the Recall Facebook page are linked here.

https://www.facebook.com/geyeronschoolboard

Stookey’s full written statement is linked as well: Curt’s recall response

https://www.facebook.com/Stop-the-Recall-for-Winston-Dillard-Board-Member-Brian-West-110259384748475