A Virginia parent has been charged after threatening to bring loaded guns into her children's school following a dispute over mask wearing policies.
Amelia Ruffner King, 42, told a meeting of the Page County Public Schools Board that she would 'bring every single gun loaded and ready' if the school made her kids wear a mask during class.
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The outburst came as the board was discussing plans on how to respond to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin's decision to remove an existing mask mandate in the state via executive order, with Youngkin instead saying parents should be allowed to choose individually whether to send their children to school wearing a mask.
Speaking up during a discussion about potential strategies to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in classrooms, King said, 'No mask mandates. My children will not come to school on Monday with a mask on. That’s not happening. And I will bring every single gun loaded and ready to….' before being interrupted by an official.
After being asked to leave the podium, she reportedly told the board, 'I'll see y'all on Monday.'
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In a statement posted to social media, Luray police confirmed that a woman had been arrested and charged with making oral threats while on school property, and had since been released on a $5,000 bond.
During her statement, King claimed the board was not being 'transparent' in its decision to ask students to wear masks, claiming that 'science' showed that wearing masks didn't prevent the spread of Covid.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, says that wearing masks is effective in reducing the transmission of the virus.
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NBC 4 reports that the Page County School Board ultimately passed a motion to move ahead with implementing Youngkin's executive order, however masks would still be required for staff and for children who were travelling on school buses, or had recently returned from quarantine.
In a statement, Page County Public Schools said that schools in the district would see an increased law enforcement and security present in the wake of King's outburst, saying it 'does not take these kind of statements lightly'.
'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,' the body concluded.
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Hannah Smith