Police remove man refusing to wear mask at WA school board meeting, district says
A man refused to comply with a mask mandate at a Walla Walla school board meeting in Washington on Tuesday, prompting police to remove him, district officials said and local news outlets reported.
Staff informed people they had to comply with the rules for in-person public meetings, but the unidentified man refused, according to a statement from the Walla Walla Public Schools on Wednesday.
When school members told the man he could take part in the meeting virtually, he would not leave the building and had to be escorted by police, the district said.
The man told police he had an exemption to the mandate, so he walked back into the meeting.
But the school district later confirmed there aren’t any exemptions to the state-wide mandate.
“Public agencies offering an in-person meeting option are required to provide a reasonable accommodation for someone who cannot wear a mask,” the district said. “That accommodation is the remote, virtual option the district provides.”
Masks are mandated in Washington for indoor settings and crowded outdoor events with 500 people or more, regardless of vaccination status.
The in-person meeting halted and will continue virtually on Sept. 28, the district said.
“The board takes seriously its responsibility to protect the health and safety of everyone who comes into our buildings each day,” said Derek Sarley, president of the board of directors of Walla Walla Public Schools. “We cannot, with a straight face, call on staff to have those difficult conversations if we are not willing to do likewise.”
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Police remove man refusing to wear mask at WA school board meeting, district says."
