DENVER (KDVR) — The Douglas County School Board fracas is far from unique, nationally speaking or in Colorado.

Douglas County has been the most visible and dramatic of a series of school board fights concerning pandemic-era issues such as COVID protocols and curriculum in Colorado. Most recently, more than 1,000 teachers were absent on Feb. 3, and many went to a rally protesting the actions of the new conservative board members and to show support for then-Superintendent Corey Wise, who was fired the next day.

The theatrical events surrounding the Douglas County School District are the latest in a national wave of similar events.

Local school boards have grown into turbulent political battles for the last two years. Across the U.S., there were 92 school board recall campaigns initiated in 2021 – about as many as the previous four years combined.

The year is young, but so far it’s shaping up like last year. At only seven weeks into the new year, there have already been 26 school board recalls nationwide including a recall of three members of the San Francisco school district’s board.

So far none of the nation’s 26 include Colorado. Historically, however, 2021 was not unique in Colorado. The Centennial State has a deeper history of school board recall battles than the country at large.

In 2021, there were four school board recalls. There was the same number of recalls 10 years ago, and three recall campaigns apiece in both 2014 and 2016.