A tractor in front of Eagle Butte High School Friday morning (photo courtesy Ross Lavinge)

By Teagan Rasche

Local students, adults protesting mask mandates at schools

Feb 4, 2022 | 11:40 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Protests against health mandates and restrictions have been happening on highways across Alberta this week.

Today, the protests reached the school level, including in Medicine Hat and Dunmore.

An Alberta School-Wide Walkout movement led by students wants to end mask mandates and all restrictions in schools.

A local parent, going by the name Stephanie Dawn on Facebook, posted on Thursday that her children would be entering St Mary’s School unmasked on Friday morning.

At around 8:45 a.m., a group of three parents and six students gathered in front of the school.

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The six kids entered and a few minutes later, three were escorted out by the principal.

Dawn later posted that her daughter “made it down the first hallway of the school before being sent to the principal’s office for not wearing a mask on her face.”

“So Proud of my girl today!,” she said.

Supt. Dwayne Zarichny of the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education was told by an organizer that they just want to draw attention to their frustrations.

“There’s actually very specific legislation, I believe it’s section 265 in the Education Act that addresses that specifically that the operation of a school in its day-to-day workings can’t be interrupted so typically that’s why we don’t see a lot of protests actually on school property because there is legislation that specifically protects schools.”

Another protest took place this morning at Eagle Butte High School in Dunmore.

Tractors, trucks and a group of about 10 adults were gathered in the school parking lot just after 9 a.m.

One tractor had the words “freedom” and “rights” written on it.

A spokesperson for Medicine Hat Public School Division says they have not had any protests yet.

One parent at St Mary’s said at 1 p.m., she and others will be protesting in front of the Catholic Board of Education’s head office.

An updated version of this story can be found here.