Parent Attacks Teacher During Mask Dispute On First Day Of School

The teacher stepped in to help the principal who was being yelled at by the parent

A California parent attacked a teacher on the first day of school over a mask mandate. This comes as the delta variant of COVID-19 continues to run rampant across the United States, impacting children under 12 who are unable to be vaccinated.

The incident occurred after the first day ended at Sutter Creek Elementary School in Amador County, NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento reported. The fight started when a parent who was upset with the school’s mask mandate saw his daughter walk out of the school with her mask on — you know, because it’s a mandate in an elementary school where most children aren’t yet eligible to be vaccinated. All California teachers must show proof of vaccination or get tested weekly.

The parent lashed out at the principal, and a male teacher intervened to protect the principal, superintendent Torie Gibson said. The situation then escalated into a physical altercation, leaving the teacher “bleeding,” according to reports.

All students are required to wear a mask while they are indoors, according to the school district’s policy, which follows the California Department of Public Health’s mandate.

In a letter to families, Gibson wrote: “As the first day of school comes and goes, there are always hiccups along the way, especially during this trying time. Unfortunately, a parent took it upon himself to verbally assault a principal that led to a serious physical altercation between him and a teacher as the teacher intended to protect the principal. The teacher suffered lacerations on his face, some bruising on his a face and a pretty good knot on the back of his head,” Gibson continued.

The teacher was treated at the hospital and then released.

In her letter, Gibson also said that, “assaulting a staff member will never be tolerated on any school campus,” adding that mask “mandates are forever changing so understanding current requirements is critical. 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.”

This week, the National Education Association (NEA) president Becky Pringle came out in favor of vaccinations for all teachers as well as the second largest teacher’s union.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first (or likely the last) to happen as a result of mask mandates in place to protect our young kids. In Tennessee, anti-mask parents were seen on video berating the Williamson County Schools Board of Education after voting to require masks for elementary students, staff, and others when inside or on a bus, threatening to find out where they live.

The parent has since been banned from the school’s campus.