Florida mother arrested after refusing to wear a mask during school board meeting

Kari Turner, 40, was arrested on Tuesday in front of her two children

A Florida mother was arrested at a school board meeting after refusing to wear a mask (Facebook)

A Florida mother was arrested after refusing to wear a mask during a school board meeting that involved officials deciding to continue with their face covering mandate for children

Kari Turner, 40, was arrested on Tuesday in front of her two children by police officers at Pinellas County School Board hearing in Largo. In a video that has widely circulated on social media, Ms Turner’s daughter is heard saying, “That’s my mom, that’s my mom.”

“The individual refused to wear a mask, which began a series of events that led to the arrest,” school district spokeswoman Isabel Macarenas told the Tampa Bay Times.

School district police charged the woman with battery on a law enforcement officer, trespassing, and disorderly conduct.

More than two dozen parents showed up to the school board meeting, some with their children, to oppose the mandatory mask mandate put in place for students attending school.

“These are people that have anxiety issues, these are people that have health exemptions," parent Debra Williams told the newspaper. "But the problem is, we are all being discriminated against and we are all being mistreated because we are a minority, and they don’t like it.”

Another parent compared the masks to “water-boarding”.

“These masks are water-boarding our children,” parent Shannon Brooks said.

The board voted 4-1 to extend the mask policy, which has been in effect since classes resumed in August, amid the coronavirus pandemic, it was reported.