Father injures teacher after arguing about masks, school says. Now he’s banned from campus.
The altercation illustrates the battles caused by an ongoing pandemic and the sensitive spot school leaders are in.
The first day of classes at a Northern California elementary school ended with a bloodied and bruised teacher allegedly beaten by a parent who was upset over seeing his daughter in a mask, according to school officials.
An unidentified father of a student at Sutter Creek Elementary School in Amador County, Calif., arrived after the school had commenced its first day back. He saw his daughter and the principal wearing masks, Amador County Unified School District Superintendent Torie Gibson told KTXL.
He allegedly argued with the principal, left and returned to speak with her again, Gibson said.
An unnamed male teacher intervened, but that led to a physical altercation between the two men that resulted in the teacher needing medical attention at a hospital, KCRA 3 reported.
The altercation illustrates the battles caused by an ongoing pandemic and the sensitive spot school leaders are in keeping children safe from illness and creating a somewhat normal learning environment.
Schools are reopening with coronavirus restrictions that have placed masking at the center of education and politics. Though the majority of parents support mask mandates in school, some state leaders have banned school districts from mandating universal masking.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona wrote the governors of Texas and Florida stating that their bans on school districts creating mask policies were inconsistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s masking guidelines.
For parents opposing mask use at public schools, their options are limited, experts say.
Gibson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but told a local news outlet that a police report was filed with the Sutter Creek Police Department. The parent is no longer permitted on school campus, but his child is.
In a letter sent to parents on Thursday, Gibson said assaulting staff members on any school campus in the district would not be allowed and “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Remember, we are not the ones making the rules/mandates, we are the ones required to follow/enforce them if we want to keep our doors open and students at school five days a week,” she said.
“The teacher was bleeding,” Gibson told KCRA 3. “He had some lacerations on his face, some bruising on his face, and a pretty good knot on the back of his head.”
The Sutter Creek Police Department did not respond to a request for comment, but said in a social media post that it is investigating the incident.
Sutter Creek Elementary leaders were following guidance from California public health officials and their local school board.
The California Department of Public Health announced in July that masks would be part of the current school year. Earlier this month, the Amador County Public Schools Board of Trustees chose to mandate masks for all students with exceptions only for those with medical reasons, the Ledger Dispatch reported.
California has reported nearly 4 million coronavirus cases and more than 64,000 deaths since the onset of the pandemic, according to the health department. Amador County has reported just over 1,000 cases this year and has vaccinated 40 percent of its population, according to data from the CDC.
On Thursday, California became the first state to require coronavirus vaccines or tests for teachers and school staff, citing the highly contagious delta variant as a factor.
The delta variant has also pushed the CDC to recommend students aged 2 and older, staff, teachers and others wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
Many parents told FOX40, on and off camera, that they understand the frustration but violence is never the answer.
“[Teachers] should not be subjected to that kind of violence or that kind of adversity,” said Rebecca Tracy, an Amador County resident.
The legal options for parents trying to balk at wearing face coverings are pretty limited, said Aaron Tang, professor of law at the University of California at Davis.
“There’s no constitutional right to an education,” he explained. “There’s no right to a public education, and there’s no right to an unmasked education.”
Those who argue that mask mandates in schools like Sutter Creek interfere with quality education, infringe upon liberty or speech will likely have losing arguments in court because of the constitution and recent high-profile cases, Tang noted.
Gibson told KOVR-TV in Sacramento that an incident like this “has never happened in our community.”
“Emotions are really high right now,” she said, adding that she anticipates “more of this happening across the state, especially in rural areas where this is just such a division.”
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