Woman removed from OPS elementary school for not wearing mask
With the start of the new school year just a few days away, Omaha Public Schools officials said Friday they will start the year with fewer bus drivers than they need.
A 33-year-old woman complained to police Monday after she was forcibly removed from an Omaha Public Schools elementary school for refusing to wear a mask.
The incident occurred about 8:45 a.m. at Picotte Elementary School, 14506 Ohio St. OPS requires all students, teachers and parents to wear a mask indoors at school.
The woman, a parent of a Picotte student, told police that when she dropped off her son at the school, she asked school staff that he not be forced to wear a mask.
The woman told police that as she was leaving, she noticed that someone made her son put on a mask as he entered the building. The woman, who was not wearing a mask, said she then tried to go inside the school to retrieve her son but was stopped by a security guard.
The security guard grabbed her by the wrist and forcibly “dragged” her back outside, she reported.
The woman complained of “considerable pain” to her wrist but had no injuries, according to a police report. She said she anticipated that she may develop a bruise.
The security guard told police that he had been called to the school as a precaution specifically because staff anticipated problems with the woman, who had expressed concerns about masks at an orientation meeting.
The security guard said he acted after the woman brushed past the principal, who was trying to stop her from entering without a mask.
No citations were issued.
Reached by telephone Tuesday, the woman declined to comment.
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