A teacher in Arizona called a father on Thursday to tell him that his son had been in close contact with a person who was positive for coronavirus. The dad was then told that his son should stay home for at most one week.
Later that morning, however, the man entered Mesquite Elementary School along with his son, and two other men wearing zip ties, before confronting principal John Carruth, Vail Unified Schools District Superintendent, about the school's quarantine policy.
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Carruth claimed that the men threatened to call the local authorities and make a "citizen’s arrest" if the student did not return to school immediately after the meeting. Carruth stated that the principal explained to the group that the school had followed local health department's guidance and ordered them to leave.
He told The Washington Post that today was "a difficult day." "One of our most powerful tools is the behavior we model for young people. The behavior I saw today makes me very sad."
Tucson Police Department spokesperson confirmed that officers responded. The police did not identify the men or say whether they were facing any charges.
The principal of the elementary school, Diane Vargo, didn't immediately respond to a message sent by The Post on Thursday night.
The incident was captured by one of the men who went with the dad to school and uploaded to Instagram. He said that he wasn't available to interview students and directed The Post to another video on social media where they could discuss the incident.
Another protest by parents against covid-19 mandates at schools that reopen in Arizona marks another instance of parents protesting the high-susceptible delta variant surge. Some parents have verbally attacked teachers while others have taken physical violence against students and teachers.
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One Texas parent ripped the mask of a teacher off her face last month. Another parent in the same district shouted at a teacher who was wearing a mask, claiming it made it difficult to understand her words. A father was also charged in Florida with assaulting a student for confronting him about his mask.
Carruth said that Mesquite Elementary School in Arizona had reached out to the father earlier in the day to inform him that his son, along with six of his classmates, had been infected by the virus.
According to the Pima County Health Department, all children should stay home for seven days following potential exposure at school. The superintendent stated that the district's policy was based on this guidance. If a coronavirus test that was taken more than five days after being placed in quarantine is negative, and if the student has not been ill for seven days, they can return to school. The dashboard shows that the school has one active positive case of covid.
Carruth stated that the father took to social media immediately after learning the news to protest the school’s quarantine policy. The situation was posted by one of the men who later accompanied him to school.
"Apparently Mesquite Elementary believes they can break the law, and act like covid Gestapo," wrote the man. He was referring to Nazi Germany's secret police. "We will soon be heading over there to disagree. We won't allow this in our community so join us!
The father and son arrived at school later that morning. Carruth stated that the other two men met them at the school's parking garage.
In an Instagram live video, one of the men who joined the dad said that he was about to confront the administration for "breaking the law."
Before displaying the "law enforcement zipties" they had brought, the man stated that "if necessary, we will do a citizen’s arrest".
The men approached the administrator in the principal's office and argued that the state's law forbids the quarantining of "children who aren't sick". The video did not show anyone wearing masks. They are not required by the school district.
One man stated, "If you insist on that, I'll have your arrest." "We are ready to make a citizen’s arrest if needed."
Principal said that there would be no arrests on Mesquite campus and added that they were following covid protocols.
The man replied, "We'll look into that,"
The dad of the student added, "We don’t answer to you." "My son won't be quarantined. My son will return."
The principal stated, "He must be quarantined," before asking the men to vacate her office. Carruth stated that the principal called the police after the men refused to leave her office.
The superintendent stated that no arrests were made at school because the men fled before the police arrived.
Carruth stated that "showing up at a school with zip-ties is not the way to solve any problem." "We are open to people from all backgrounds and opinions. But we must work together. This is unacceptable.
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