High school student sent home for violating mask policy, holds protest
By RUSSELL KINSAUL
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HERCULANEUM, Missouri (KMOV) — Herculaneum High School student Tristan Watson held a protest outside the Dunklin R-5 School District headquarters Monday morning over the district’s mask mandate.
Nearly 100 students and adults joined the protest. Sarah Harvey is the parent of a middle school student in the district.
“We decided to come out here in solidarity with this young man. Show him how proud we are of him exercising his rights,” she said.
According to his father, Michael Watson, Tristan was called to the office on Wednesday for not wearing a mask. He said his son was called to the office again on Thursday for the same reason.
“Basically I just came out and said I wasn’t going to wear a mask,” said Tristan Watson.
According to Superintendent Dr. Clint Freeman, the district switched to virtual learning for three days, two weeks ago, because so many employees were out sick with COVID-19 or in quarantine.
“I don’t think anybody wants to wear a mask. But we also understand to keep our school doors open that’s one mitigation effort that we have to do right now to help with that,” said Freeman.
Freeman said when Watson refused to wear a mask at school or to agree to virtual learning, there was nothing left to do but to send him home. Since Watson didn’t have a car to drive home, Freeman said the school district arranged for a police officer to take him home.
A photo posted to social media showing Watson getting out of a police car in front of his house has elicited suggestions that police were called on him because he refused to wear a mask, and that he was made to do a “perp walk.”
Michael Watson confirms for News 4 that the school called him to ask him to pick up his son but Watson said he refused. And Freeman said it’s not uncommon for the high school’s school resource officer (SRO) to give a student a ride home if they’ve been sent home by the principal.
“Unfortunately our school resource officer was out also. So, our local law enforcement helped with that and made sure the kid got home safely,” said Freeman.
Michael Watson complained that the district inconsistently enforces the mask mandate. Tristan Watson said he’s hoping to work out a compromise on the mask policy. Freeman said the school board would reevaluate the mask mandate at their next board meeting on February 15.
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