February 15, 2022 - Special School Board meeting during which the vote to go mask optional in defiance of the WA state mask mandate was taken.
04:00 Kari Williams calls the meeting to order, Semi Bird makes a motion "effective immediately we vote to go to mask choice in the Richland School District."
04:45 Rick Jansons states that he believes the motion is out of order and that the vote is illegal.
06:30 Semi Bird explains his reason for the motion, including an assertion that a mandate is not a law.
21:10 Ms Williams calls for the vote: Mr Bird, Ms Byrd and Ms William vote Yes; Mr Jansons and Ms Oldson vote No; Motion passed 3-2 for mask choice.
February 17, 2022 - Emergency board meeting in which the resolution to make masks optional in Richland Schools is amended to be effective on the same day that the Washington state mask mandate expires.
Recordings of additional board meetings can be found on the Richland School District website under Board Meeting Recordings.
The following is a list of links to news articles related to the recall. Please note that you may encounter a paywall.
August 4, 2023 - Recall succeeds in ousting 3 Richland school officials who violated WA masking law
Williams said the end of the recall was great news.
"The recall has been so divisive and ugly, coming off the coat tails of an already difficult time during COVID. I am so looking forward to seeing our amazing community finally have the chance to come together and heal," she said in a statement.
The Herald also asked Audra Byrd by email Thursday for her response to the latest vote count, as well as about a Facebook post with her name telling Richland parents to pull their children out of Richland schools.
The post read in part, "This is heartbreaking news for our schools and our community children. ... This will absolutely embolden our many indoctrinating teachers who already have been pushing inappropriate content on our students in secret ways. Now they have nothing to hold them back. Please do not naively keep your children in Richland School District. It will be to the destruction of their testimonies in Jesus Christ and any moral values you are teaching them in the home."
Byrd's email to the Herald did not confirm nor deny that she made the post but provided the following statement from her school district email account punctuated with a smiley face emoji: "You suck. This is my full quote. Please do not say that I did not supply you with a comment. Love, Audra."
The Tri-City Herald also reached out to Bird about the election outcome but had not heard back by Thursday night.
In a Thursday morning email blast from his 2024 governors campaign, Bird acknowledged that he had lost the recall battle.
August 3, 2023 - "'We will win the war!' Semi Bird's gubernatorial campaign begins fundraising off his recall
August 2, 2023 - Voters soundly recalling 3 school officials after they defied WA mask mandate
March 1, 2023 - Richland school official wants all recall button-wearing employees 'immediately fired'
February 22, 2023 - 3 Richland officials facing recall reconsider voting to pay their own legal bills
February 9, 2023 - WA Supreme Court rules on Richland school board recall
January 6, 2023 - Will Richland school officials face recall over a COVID mask vote? The latest news
September 22, 2022 - Lawyer bills Richland schools $30,000 for defending 3 board members from a recall
July 19, 2022 - 3 Richland school leaders are trying to stop attempt to oust them. How long until a decision?
June 14, 2022 - Tri-Cities judge tosses out 1 charge in Richland School Board recall
May 12, 2022 - 3 Richland school officials ask WA Supreme Court to toss out recall effort
May 12, 2022 - Richland School Board votes to settle open meetings lawsuit. Here's what they'll pay
May 11, 2022 - Judge OKs recall petition against 3 Richland school officials. What comes next?
May 9, 2022 - Arguments begin in recall of three Richland School Board members. Deadline for decision looms
May 7, 2022 - Who's behind the Richland School Board recall? One is the former head of Hanford
April 13, 2022 - Recall petitions filed to oust 3 Richland school officials who voted to defy WA mask law
April 2, 2022 - Richland School Board member says she deleted text messages with other board members
February 24, 2022 - Richland School Board violated WA open meetings law over mask vote, lawsuit claims
February 23, 2022 - 1,500 demand immediate resignation of 3 Richland school leaders in wake of mask vote
February 22, 2022 - Richland school board may be heading for another shakeup
February 17, 2022 - Richland students return to class Friday with masks on - for now
February 17, 2022 - Richland superintendent explains why schools closed. 2nd emergency meeting called
February 16, 2022 - Richland parents divided after school board sudden decision to go mask optional
February 16, 2022 - Richland school board still meeting in emergency session over mask decision
February 15, 2022 - Richland schools close immediately after surprise vote to defy WA mask mandate
February 10, 2022 - Mask frustration boils over in another tense Richland School Board meeting
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