Parents in the North Penn School District have lambasted local authorities after an incident in which a school employee was seen attaching a mask to a child's face with tape.
“Pro-mask or anti-mask, I hope we can all agree that taping masks to children’s faces crosses the LINE,” a Facebook group, North Penn Stronger Together, posted online with a photo attached. “This was not a joke for the child or the parents.”
According to the statement by the school district, the photo “taken in one of our classrooms last week and circulating on social media does not represent the universal values that the North Penn School District strives to instill in both our students and staff.”
“After an immediate investigation, it was determined that while the incident was isolated and no malice was intended, the actions of the teacher were entirely inappropriate and unacceptable, no matter the context,” the statement read. “We understand that the act of taping a mask to a student’s face is concerning to many and apologize that it occurred.”
Authorities noted that “the matter is serious and it is being addressed with the employee,” but refused to identify the school employee as “all personnel and student matters are confidential.” At the same time, some of the outraged parents demanded that the school employee involved in the incident face immediate disciplinary action.
State authorities have no right to require masks after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overruled the governor’s school mask mandate, but some school districts were authorized to keep the mandate.
There is no information about the identity of the woman depicted in the photo or her position at the school.