AMADOR COUNTY, Calif. (KTXL) — It was the first day of school for a Sutter Creek elementary this week, but it ended with a parent verbally assaulting a principal and physically assaulting a teacher over face coverings.
“We had a great first day of school other than this one incident,” said Torrie Gibson Amador County Unified School District superintendent.
It happened after school Wednesday when district officials say a father saw his daughter and a principal with face masks but did not see some teachers wearing theirs indoors.
“Dad was upset feeling like there was a double standard,” Gibson said.
That father went back to confront the principal. A teacher tried to stop the incident from escalating.
“A male teacher stepped in fearing that the principal was going to be harmed, and that is when the parent struck the teacher, and the fight was on,” Gibson said.
Gibson told FOX40 she was disappointed to hear about the incident.
“Physical violence it’s just not going to be tolerated,” Gibson said.
Since students were released for the day, their guidelines allow for fully vaccinated teachers to not wear face masks indoors, Gibson says. The mask mandate was approved last week by the board of trustees, allowing parents to have their child opt out of wearing a face mask if they provide a doctor’s note.
Many parents told FOX40, on and off camera, they understand the frustration but violence is never the answer.
“[Teachers] should not be subjected to that kind of violence or that kind of adversity,” said Rebecca Tracy, an Amador County resident.
Gibson hopes parents understand that district employees and teachers do not make the rules and the difficult position school staff are put in.
“We just want everyone to take a breath and try and step back from the situation and really look at what’s important — and that is having kids on campus every day at school for their mental health,” Gibson said.