Mom tells school board she’ll bring ‘loaded’ guns to oppose mask mandates in Virginia
A woman upset about her child’s school requiring masks told district officials that she would come armed to oppose to the school’s mandates.
The Virginia mother’s comments at the Page County Public Schools Board meeting, recorded and streamed live on Thursday, Jan. 20, have spurred a police investigation, according to the Luray Police Department.
The woman begins her comments by explaining how in a previous meeting, she was unable to finish her prepared statement past the allotted three minutes that each citizen is allowed to speak during the public comment section. She says that when she continued to speak past her time, a public official requested backup to arrest her.
This meeting, she’s seen getting cut off at three minutes again, and it’s what she says after that sparked law enforcement’s interest.
“No mask mandates. My children will not come to school on Monday with a mask on. I will bring every single gun, loaded and ready,” the woman says, before a school official interrupts her again.
“I’ll see y’all on Monday,” she adds as she gathered her belongings and walks away.
The mother told the board that they should respect the wishes of parents and to be more transparent about COVID-19 mitigation efforts and mask mandates, accusing former Gov. Ralph Northam of “[refusing] to acknowledge parents rights.”
Page County Public Schools released a statement after the Jan. 20 meeting, saying the Luray Police Department is investigating the incident and that local law enforcement will provide heavier police presence at county schools following the woman’s remarks.
“There were comments made that referenced weapons and were perceived by many to be threatening in nature,” the board said in a statement. “Not only do comments such as these go against everything we wish to model for our students, they go against the very nature of how we as a community should interact with each other. Violence and threats are never acceptable or appropriate.”
Luray Police Department said they had contacted the woman involved and that she is cooperating with their investigation.
“The statement that was made absolutely caused public alarm, the parent that made the statement realized that, and immediately contacted law enforcement to apologize because the statement was not intended the way it was perceived,” the department said in a statement.
The incident remains under investigation.
This story was originally published January 21, 2022 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Mom tells school board she’ll bring ‘loaded’ guns to oppose mask mandates in Virginia."
