A California school called the police on a four-year-old child for not wearing a mask due to the district’s mask policy, shocking video of the moment shows.
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According to a YouTube video posted by Reopen California Schools on Aug. 18, an employee within the Mountain View Whisman School District called the police on a young boy because he was not wearing a mask. It’s not clear which day the encounter occurred, but the school began its session on Aug. 10 and lifted its mask mandate on Aug. 19.
In the video, the little boy is seen running to the classroom before he is blocked by a school employee who is wearing a mask.
“I’m sorry. He’s not able to come in unless he has his mask on,” the employee says to the boy’s father, who is filming the incident.
“I welcome him here and I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I want him here, but it is our district’s policy that students have to wear a mask,” she adds.
The 4-year-old eventually enters the classroom unmasked. The same employee is then seen removing the young boy from the school.
“I want him here. He is a lovely child. We are here to support and serve him. Our district’s policy hasn’t changed. I am here to serve all students on our campus. I cannot keep spending time on this same issue,” she says. “I’m going to have to have him removed from campus if you don’t leave at this time.”
The father then notes in the video that the school called the police “to remove a four-year-old from campus.”
The officer explains that the school district is keeping the mask mandate in place because the number of COVID-19 infections has “increased” in the area.
“I can’t say that what they’re doing is wrong, and I can’t say that what you’re doing is wrong. And honestly, both sides have valid points. For me, I just have to make sure the campus as a whole is safe and kids get their education,” the police officer says.
“You seem like a good dude,” the officer adds. “You seem like a good father. I just hope by next week they lift [the mask mandate] and then it’s all resolved.”
Earlier this month, Mountain View Whisman School District announced that masking would be required indoors when CDC data shows community transmission of COVID-19 is “high.”
On Thursday, the school updated its indoor masking policy to “recommended but…not required” for students and staff.
“As of this afternoon, our local COVID transmission rates have dropped below the ‘high’ category as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As we’ve stated earlier this month in our COVID guidelines, reaching this threshold means our masking protocol can change,” the school district’s website stated.
The announcement was made on the same day that the now-viral video was posted online showing police removing the 4-year-old boy for not wearing a mask.
Earlier this year, passengers and airline employees in airports and on planes erupted in cheers as U.S.-based airlines announced the end of the Biden administration’s public transportation mask mandate, which was struck down by a Trump-appointed federal judge in Florida for being “unlawful.”