A 4-year-old boy was left "inconsolable" after he was sent home from his school in Mountain View, California, by a police officer after he refused to wear a face mask. The boy's father shared a disturbing clip of the moment his son is being stopped by the school's principal before he is turned away from class.
When the father, who only wanted to be identified as Shawn, sent his son down at Theuerkauf Elementary School on Thursday for his second day, he was met by police. However, the boy was back in school on Friday after the family's attorney sent a letter to Theuerkauf Elementary School.
Shocking Moment for Kid
The boy, who hasn't been named, was back in school on Friday after Mountain View Whisman School District eased its mask policy after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that Santa Clara County is no longer at the high Covid-19 risk level. However, a lot happened before that, which left the innocent child "inconsolable."
In a video Shawn shared with DailyMail.com, which has now gone viral, the young boy can be seen leaving the school in Mountain View without a face mask. The video shows, the child being confronted by the principal Michelle Williams, who then turns away the boy from class.
"I'm sorry - he's not able to come in unless he has his mask on," Williams is heard saying in the video telling Shawn.
"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 continues in the video.
"He is a lovely child. We are here to support and serve him. I am here to serve all our students on our campus. I cannot keep spending time on this same issue," she says curtly as the boy holds the form his school handed him to be given to his father.
Seeing the form, Shawn asks, "What does this say?"
Williams at this point looks a bit frustrated and annoyed as she tells Shawn: "I'm going to have to have you removed from campus if you do not leave at this time."
Shawn, still recording, notes: "They called a police officer to remove a four-year-old from campus."
The cop who is seen standing next to Shwan tells him that his only responsibility is to uphold the laws as they currently stand. "I can't say what they are doing is wrong; I can't say what you are doing is wrong. Both sides have valid points," the officer he heard saying.
"For me, I just have to ensure on the campus as a whole that kids get their education."
Allowed at Last
Shawn left home with his son after that. However, the child was allowed to attend school on Friday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that Santa Clara County was no longer at a high Covid-19 risk category, as Mountain View Whisman School District relaxed its mask policy.
Even though the weather has cooled off, the boy's father and other mask-mandate opponents are preparing to battle a comeback of the law with the upcoming Covid-19 lawsuits.
Positive Covid cases in the region—one of the wealthiest in the nation—have a seven-day rolling average of 544, which is much lower than the summer peak of 1,127 cases.
Despite Friday's relaxation of the requirements, Shawn told DailyMail.com that the issue of mask demands had not been resolved because the rule could easily be restored.
"The policy still exists," said Shawn, who, like many parents, asked not to be identified out of concern the family will be mistreated for speaking out against a policy many in the district support. "I always wanted peace and a choice."
Shawn now fears that his son might again be subject to similar treatment if the mask policy is tightened. Shawn told the Daily Mail that his son, who he and his wife feel may have special needs, became quite upset. He had never worn a face mask before when requested to do so during normal hospital visits.
Long before his son started school, in the spring, Shawn claimed he started talking to Mountain View Whisman School District about his worries, but the superintendent was unreceptive.
"They told me to force it on him," Shawn told the outlet. "They are basically telling me to assault and batter my son."
He continued by saying that they essentially informed him they may postpone the beginning of his education if they weren't comfortable with the policy. "They said school doesn't have to begin until the age of six," he said.
Shawn is now concerned about his son's future at this school.
