Ex-school board member facing charges shows up at meeting

MINDEN, Neb. (AP) — A former Miden Public Schools board member already facing trespassing and disturbing the peace charges showed up maskless at the latest school board meeting and had to be repeatedly asked to leave.

Former board member Katie Sinsel took a seat at the board’s table before its Monday night meeting and was repeatedly asked by Superintendent James Widdifield to put on a mask or to leave the building, the Kearney Hub reported.

Sinsel showed up despite having been voted off the board on April 26 for what district officials called a violation of her oath of office by refusing to wear a mask and being marked as absent from several meetings because she refused to wear a mask. Sinsel was charged with the misdemeanors following an April 12 meeting at which she was accused of being disruptive and disorderly when she refused to wear a mask or leave the building, NTV reported.

Sinsel is set to appear in Kearney County Court for a preliminary hearing on July 8.

At Monday night's meeting, Widdifield told Sinsel she was trespassing, and Sinsel insisted she was a board member. After several minutes of back and forth, Widdifield called police, and Sinsel left before police arrived.