Deputies Called To Orange County Elementary After Some Parents And Kids Stage Anti-Mask Protest
ALISO VIEJO (CBSLA) - Law enforcement was called to an Orange County elementary school after a handful of students refused to wear their masks in class, and now, one mother decided to share her frustration behind what she calls an unnecessary scare tactic.
Eva Harrison, the mother of two a son and daughter who attend Wood Canyon Elementary in Aliso Viejo, said when she saw the viral photos of Governor Gavin Newsom without a mask at SoFi Stadium for the NFC Championship Game something just clicked.
"I thought he has surely lifted the State of Emergency at this point, and I was done sending my children to school with a mask," she said.
Harrison said both her children have severe allergies and have trouble breathing through their masks. They wore the masks for months while attending school, though according to Harrison, not after she saw the photo of a mask-less Newsom.
"I printed the picture, wrote, 'This is your mask exemption,' and sent my children to school with that," Harrison said.
Last Monday, her son and daughter were taken out of class, again on Tuesday and by Friday, a few other students joined. Eventually, they were taken to the principal's office.
Parents said what happened next was absolutely shocking. Just seven minutes after the last student was taken out of the principal's office, they said they saw an Orange County Sheriff's Deputy roll up on campus.
"They called the police on five children and four parents who were in the parking lot eating cookies, taking some pictures," Harrison said.
According to her, the principal of Wood Canyon Elementary told them to take their protest outside school bounds. They left immediately, but she believes the police presence was an unnecessary scare tactic.
"They were scared that they were going to take us away," Harrison said of the children, after they saw the deputy.
According to mask choice advocacy group Let Them Breathe, law enforcement has no jurisdiction over these matters.
"The education code limits a school's authority when it comes to disciplinary action. They can't be going forward with criminal proceedings just based on a student's choice to mask or not," said Sharon Mckeeman, founder of Let Them Breathe.
Public Health officials said Orange County is reporting the highest number of children being treated for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, one of the many reasons officials said the mask mandate remains in schools.
Officials with the Capistrano Unified School District have so far not responded to CBSLA's request for comment.
Carrie Braun, Director of Public Affairs and Community Engagement for the Orange County Sheriff's Department provided CBSLA with the following statement regarding the incident:
"On February 4, deputies were called to Wood Canyon Elementary regarding parents who were reported to be in the office protesting and refusing to leave. The School Resource Officer assigned to the school responded to keep the peace and the principal advised the parents they could continue their protest off-campus. This call did not involve students and everyone involved left without incident."