Maskless moms kicked out of Volusia school board meeting
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - Several mothers in Volusia County were removed from a school board meeting on Tuesday after refusing to wear masks.
Rachael Cohen was captured on video being dragged out of the meeting by a police officer.
“They slammed the door in my face and I tried to open it again,” she said. “Then Tia came out and they were shoving her out the door, and it was like, where do we live right now? Is this 2020 America? Because it feels like 1930 Germany right now.”
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Cohen and others went to the meeting to make a public comment against the school district’s mask policy. The school district later voted unanimously to extend its mask policy for students until further notice.
A total of 8 mothers were removed from the meeting. Some of them were issued trespass violations.
“The parents have the sovereign right to their children and making health care choices for their children. The children also have a right and responsibility to go to their public school and this is a gross overreach of their power,” said Rebecca Sarwi about the school board.
School Board Chair Ida Wright says the women were asked to comply with the mask rule inside the building, or leave several times.
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The school district said: “They were willfully violating the school board’s policy on face coverings. They were asked several times to comply and then became disruptive, which delayed the start of the board meeting for over one hour. Police were called to assist because they refused to leave when they were trespassed.”
Wright added the school district has jurisdiction to create its own policies involving masks.
“This is America. We want them to be engaged in the process, we want them to be engaged in their children’s learning, but there are policies and procedures. And the policies are set forth not to just protect them, but everyone involved,” said Chairwoman Wright.
The mothers involved are not allowed on property for a year.