Caldwell bans Ammon Bundy from school grounds

Ten days after a confrontation that halted a high school football game, the Caldwell School District is banning Ammon Bundy from school grounds.

Calling it “an unfortunate and necessary step,” trustees Monday voted for a ban that will run at least through the rest of the 2020-21 school year. (Here’s a full story from Monday’s meeting from Nicole Foy of the Idaho Statesman.)

Bundy showed up for an Oct. 2 football game between Emmett and Caldwell high schools; his son plays for Emmett’s team. Bundy refused to wear a facemask and refused to leave school grounds. After police received threatening 911 calls, the game was canceled.

Ammon Bundy speaks at a forum hosted by the American Academy for Constitutional Education (AAFCE) at the Burke Basic School in Mesa, Arizona circa 2014. Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

“In the judgment of the board, your recent conduct on school property, your deliberate refusal to abide by the District’s health and safety measures during the COVID pandemic and refusal to comply with the directives of the school’s administrators was unacceptable and put the health and safety of our students, personnel and patrons at risk,” trustees said in their letter to Bundy.

Bundy has already been banned from the Idaho Statehouse for one year, after he was removed from the Capitol twice during a three-day special legislative session in August.

 

 

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 35 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. He can be reached at [email protected]

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