Maskless students protesting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mask mandate say they were BARRICADED in a California school and frozen after teachers turned the heat down: police say matter is NOT under investigation
- California students continue to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mask mandate as maskless students in Oakdale were barricaded inside their gym on Thursday
- A photo from one of the students showed lunch tables blocking the door from the inside with staffers on the outside along with the caption ‘Locking us in’
- The students said that the staff members were trying to ‘freeze them out’
- A follow-up video shows the students marching in town toward the district office
- Student protests in Oakdale began on Wednesday as they called out Newsom for being seen maskless at the NFC Championship Game last week
- The school district said that more than 300 students have refused to wear masks on Wednesday and Thursday
Maskless students in California said they were ‘barricaded’ inside their school’s gym with lunch tables propped against the door and temperatures turned down as they protested Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mask mandate.
A photo from one of the students at the Oakdale Joint Unified School District captioned, ‘Locking us in,’ shows the tables blocking the doors from the inside on Thursday. School staffers could be seen standing by on the outside.
The students claimed staff members turned down the thermostat to ‘freeze them out,’ according to Reopen California Schools, but Oakland Police said the temperatures were not low. A school officer had responded to the situation, and deemed it not a police matter. It is not under further investigation.
They were not locked in.
A follow-up video on Reopen California School shows the maskless students marching in the streets on their way to the district headquarters in an apparent planned ‘protest’ as people in the streets cheered, ‘Let’s go, Oakdale.’
The students in the district said they have chosen to go out without masks to follow Newsom’s example after he appeared maskless at the NFC Championship Game last week at SoFi Stadium.
Students took a photo of the barricade at the school gym on Thursday afternoon
The students were seen marching in the streets on their way to the district headquarters ‘in protest’ as people in the streets cheered, ‘Let’s go, Oakdale’
Gov. Gavin Newsome (right) was pictured maskless with Magic Johnson at the NFC Championship game over the weekend
Oakdale Joint Unified Superintendent Dave Kline told the Modesto Bee that 375 students in the district did not wear masks on Wednesday, and that 344 refused on Thursday.
Oakdale High School freshman Nolan Harris told CBS 13 students were protesting the hypocrisy of Newsom, saying: ‘If they don’t follow by their own rules that they’re trying to force upon me, why should I follow them.’
Newsom said he only took his mask off momentarily during the game in order to take the photos, but he was pictured without a mask multiple times at the event.
Harris said the district separated the protesting students, putting them in the gym, but added that the number of angry students has grown.
‘By the end of the day, there was about a hundred kids in there,’ he said.
The Oakdale Joint Unified School District did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Oakdale High School Freshman Nolan Harris called out Newsom for not wearing a mask
Parents were also at the school supporting the student’s protest
The California governor (right) had been pictured multiple times without his mask
Oakdale mom Melissa Goodman told CBS that she supported students’ decision to protest peacefully and said other parents were also in favor of the kids.
‘They don’t want to get in trouble, they don’t want to disrespect their teachers,’ said Goodman, whose son is a senior at Oakdale High School.
‘But they also want the right to share their smiles and breathe freely.’
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