Parent: Son denied lunch due to not wearing mask

An Armstrong Central High School parent said her son was denied lunch for refusing to wear a mask on the first day in which they were required.

Mandi Stewart said the district withheld food as punishment for her son, 10th grader Colton Stewart, for not complying with the state mandate to have a face covering or mask on while in school.

The state mandate went into effect Tuesday.

Stewart said her son made it from 7:30 a.m. to about 10:30 a.m. without a mask and without incident even with two teachers requesting her son wear a mask.

The mother said a cafeteria worker requested Colton put a mask on, and once again he declined.

He then went to the principal’s office, contacted his mother and was picked up around 1 p.m., less than two hours from regular dismissal, according to Stewart.

She said she spoke with a principal about the situation and has contacted an attorney to see if it is legal to withhold food from a student.

Stewart said this is the first time she and her son have had a problem at the high school, and she was unaware of any other students having mask-related issues Tuesday.

Assistant Superintendent Josh Williams said Wednesday that he would not talk about individual students or parents.

However, he said, “No student was denied a lunch for not wearing a mask.”

There are about 4,900 students districtwide.

Masks were an issue outside the cafeteria.

Williams said a handful of high school students did walk out in protest Tuesday.

“Obviously, we want to have them all in, but it’s understandable,” Williams said. “We’ve had some protesting, largely by parents, which is also understandable.”

He said staffers were following the state mandate as well as advice from health care professionals.

“It’s busy, but it’s part of the territory now,” Williams said about school returning under a mask mandate. “Obviously, it’s a divisive issue. We understand that, and it’s going to be (a divisive issue).”

It is unclear how long the state mask mandate will last.