Mother in Virginia slams sons’ suspensions for not donning masks, saying they were “punished for political reasons.”

According to Stephanie Lundquist-Arora, the governor’s executive order allowing parents to select whether or not their children would wear masks to school is in conflict with school policy.

NEW Fox News articles can now be heard on audio! VA SPRINGFIELD – After her sons were punished for violating the dress code by failing to bring face masks to school, Stephanie Lundquist-Arora, a mother of three, accused Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) of engaging in political gamesmanship.

The boys of Lundquist-Arora were among the 24 FCPS pupils who were disciplined on January 25 for not wearing masks.

According to Lundquist-Arora of Fox News Digital, “the masks had given them migraines.” “They weren’t fond of wearing them. They were thus troublesome in their eyes.”

Her two younger boys were expelled from Hunt Valley Elementary School for 15 days, but she said that she has “not heard back yet” regarding her appeal requests from the principal. She sent an email to Cynthia Conley, the principal of Irving Middle School, appealing the suspension of her older son on the grounds that it was untrue, deceptive, and violated his right to privacy and political freedom. She was emphatic that the school’s actions were also in contravention of Executive Order 2 of Governor Glenn Youngkin, R., which demands that Virginia schools give parents the option to withdraw their children from the mask mandates that are still in place in some Virginia schools.

Lundquist-Arora contended that local dress code requirements do not outweigh state law and that he was entirely within his rights to be maskless under the terms of state law.

A Fairfax County school bus sits in a depot, a day after it was announced the county would begin the school year all online, in Lorton, Virginia, U.S., July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

On July 22, 2020, in Lorton, Virginia, a day after it was announced that the county would start the school year entirely online, a Fairfax County school bus is seen sitting in a depot. Kevin Lamarque Reuters Kevin Lamarque for Reuters

Last Monday, the school rejected her appeal, noting that “his reluctance to wear a face mask, the dress code infringement was recorded and a consequence was applied” as a result.

In a Fox News Digital interview, Lundquist-Arora went into more detail about why she believed the action to be political.

She added, “I also believe that my sons are receiving punishment for political reasons. “We had the gall to actually rely on the governor’s directive and use our rights. And they have never reacted with such vehemence to anything Governor Northam has done before. The school board never said, “Oh, we’re not listening to that, and we’re going to draft a policy to sidestep it,” in response to an executive order signed by Governor Northam. Therefore, I believe that this is undoubtedly political.”

The activist parent claimed to have seen a faint undercurrent of irony in her son’s punishment.

Ironically, she continued, “when I went to pick up my son, there was a notice that read children who, in order to stay on course for graduation, students should not miss more than nine days in the school year, I suppose in the counselor’s office or wherever they held him.” And I found that to be especially amusing given that they had just purposefully suspended him for nine days over whether he was wearing a cloth over his face or not.

Masked students arrive to the first day of class at Glasgow Middle School in Lincolnia, Virginia, on Monday, August 23, 2021, the first day back to school for the Fairfax County school district. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

On Monday, August 23, 2021—the first day of the Fairfax County school year—masked kids make their way to Glasgow Middle School in Lincolnia, Virginia, for the start of the school year. (Amanda Andrade-Rhodes, via Getty Images, for The Washington Post) For The Washington Post, Amanda Andrade-Rhodes

Lundquist-Arora was concerned that her son’s suspensions might prevent him from advancing in his academic goals. She pointed out that her older son’s nine-day suspension suggests that he is at least as bad of a criminal as drug dealers. He is actually a responsible, straight-A student who has never gotten into trouble before other than for these politically tinged dress code infractions, she claimed.

Lundquist-Arora described her plans for the future as “pursue legal avenues to fight” and “appeal to the state board of education.”

I’m hopeful that justice will win out in the end and that things will be forgotten,” she remarked. “I can only hope and fight against it at this point. This is absurd beyond belief.”

Requests for comments from Irving Middle School and Fairfax County Public Schools were not promptly entertained.

In recent months, the mother has battled additional policies, such as a proposed regulation that would expel or penalize kids for “maliciously misgendering” their peers. In June, the policy was approved by an 8–4 vote of the Fairfax County school board.

According to Lundquist-Arora of Fox News Digital, “I think it is utterly wrong for the school to be involved in something so far outside of general instruction for children.”

“There is no doubt that our board is activist. In essence, it is a totalitarian system. They prefer to dictate everything they support while outlawing everything they oppose “She spoke.

But she acknowledged that the parental backlash had at least had some influence. The mother thinks the vote “would have been unanimous” if they hadn’t spoken out.

Lundquist-Arora reiterated that she and the other parents had planned to argue.

In order to avoid signing the contract before the start of the academic year, she said, “Our next measures are to encourage parents and students who disagree with the document to do so.” We will also demand the removal of any text in the document that forbids free expression or otherwise violates the First Amendment.

Editor Cortney O’Brien works at Fox News. Tweeting as @obrienc2

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