Three schools — Skyview High School, Alki Middle School and Chinook Elementary — in Vancouver, Washington, were put in lockdown after some members of the right wing Proud Boys tried to enter schools in a protest against life-saving masks on Sept. 3.
The Washington State Department of Health requires face masks for all staff and students.
The protest, which included parents, outside Skyview High School began on the false claim that a student would face arrest if they entered school grounds. Members of the Proud Boys attempted to escort the student, who was seeking a medical exemption for masks, into a school building.
Pat Nuzzo, communications director for the district, told Oregon Public Broadcasting that the lockdown was a safety precaution:
This is related to yesterday’s protest against Washington state’s requirement for staff and students to wear masks or face coverings in schools and on buses.
Journalist Alissa Azar as attacked by some proud Boys in Olympia, Washington on Sept. 4.
This is the moment I was attacked. You can’t see actually it happen but you can hear me screaming for them to get off of me as they celebrate my assault and encourage more. evac’d & out safely. I don’t wanna recap at the moment so I’ll update later. https://t.co/0c6bWzcm0J
— alissa azar (@AlissaAzar) September 5, 2021
(Sources: Oregon Public Broadcasting, Washington State Department of Health, Twitter)