DATELINE: TEMECULA, Calif. – The incident happened on the first day of class. Victoria Nelson, a junior, and her brother Drew Nelson, a senior, say they chose not to wear a mask for religious reasons. The siblings thought their decision would fall under a religious exemption, even though no formal request had been filed with the district or the school.
The incident happened on the first day of class. Victoria Nelson, a junior, and her brother Drew Nelson, a senior, say they chose not to wear a mask for religious reasons. The siblings thought their decision would fall under a religious exemption, even though no formal request had been filed with the district or the school.
Victoria whined that the school didn’t care “what we believe in” and didn’t listen.
Drew says he was sent to the principal’s office immediately. However, administrators say Victoria refused to wear a mask or leave class. The junior says the situation escalated quickly, and that a teacher eventually evacuated the classroom and blocked her from following classmates.
In addition to the lockdown, the school resource officer was called to the scene. Administrators say it’s school policy to only call a school resource officer to campus if there’s a perceived threat to student or staff safety. Officials did not elaborate on the threat, citing a need to “protect student and staff’s right to privacy.”
Springs Charter Schools said in a statement:
“As a public charter school, Springs Charter Schools is requiring to comply with all CDPH orders, including the mask mandate, in order to protect the health and safety of our staff and students, which is our highest priority. To this end, students and staff are required to wear a mask while in school facilities. There are no religious exemptions in the state mask order nor has the right to an exemption even been recognized by the Supreme Court because it’s a neutral law of general application to protect public health. We are still investigating the specifics of the incident.”
The article did not give a specific religious reason for the children not wearing masks.
