A Virginia woman was charged with making a terror threat to her children's school if they were made to wear masks. Amelia King, a 42-year-old dental hygienist, said that she would bring 'loaded guns' at the school if her children were forced to wear masks, during the Page County school board meeting.
"My children will not come to school on Monday with a mask on. That's not happening. And I will bring every single gun loaded and ready to... I will call every," Amelia said before she was cut off for going over the three-minute time limit.
Page County school superintendent and school board chair said that Amelia's remarks were 'unacceptable' and they do not take threats like those lightly. They noted that they were requesting additional police protection for Monday's classes in a letter on Friday.
A statement by the school noted that such comments go against everything the school wishes to model for the students and this behavior will not be tolerated by students, faculty, staff, parents, or guests of the school division.
$5000 bond
Luray Police Department chief noted on Friday evening that Amelia King was charged with making oral threats while on school property. She was released on $5000 unsecured bong. Amelia issued an apology afterward, stating that she didn't mean to imply 'all guns loaded' in actual firearms but rather all resources she could muster to make sure that her children are allowed to attend school without masks.
'I am very sorry'
"I never meant to imply I would show up with actual firearms. I'm not a dangerous person and I'm not a threat, and I'm so very sorry for the way it came across," she said.
All staff and anyone on the school bus is required to wear masks. Parents, however, can sign an 'opt-out' form if they don't require their children to wear masks at school. The school board decided in a 4-2 vote to 'make masking the choice of the parent.'
Virginia's new Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin officially announced updated mask guidelines for parents, educators, and schools, providing a parental opt-out from mask mandates at both public and private schools in the Commonwealth.
