(Granite School District Meeting May 4, 2021, screenshot)
SALT LAKE CITY — Charges have been filed by the City of South Salt Lake Attorney against 11 people who disrupted a Granite School Board meeting in early May.
The Granite School District said the group was protesting the mandatory use of masks in schools, despite many of them not having any association with the district as parents or residents. The eleven people were charged with disrupting a public meeting after storming the room without masks forcing it to end early.
“Let us evaluate our individual circumstances regarding masks that are in the best interest of our families,” one parent said at the meeting.
Officials pleaded with the crowd to be more respectful, saying, “Please, guys, we are in a public meeting.”
However, some individuals with the group “Utah Parents United” continued to shout down and interrupt board members following the public comment section.
It was at that time officials decided to pull the plug and abruptly end the meeting.
District spokesperson Ben Horsley said in a statement Tuesday, “while there was a police presence at the meeting the decision was made in advance to be non-confrontational unless the situation became violent.
“Regardless, there are repercussions for these actions and the (Granite School) board was unable to conduct its business as a result of these disruptive criminal actions,” Horsley said. He also noted that the Granite School District encourages “civil discourse as we model appropriate behavior for our children and students.”
Police are looking for a twelfth suspect who has not yet been identified. Under Utah law, disrupting a public meeting is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail along with a $2,500 fine.