A Pennsylvania parent was arrested after attempting to join their child for lunch in their school cafeteria last week.
The parent was visiting a California Area School District (CASD) charter school Wednesday for a parent-teacher conference, according to a letter written by the district. Upon arriving, the parent "blatantly disregarded" directions to head to the parent-teacher conference room and instead walked to the cafeteria "'to have lunch' with their son."
Further directives from the school principal and school police officer were challenged and the parent was escorted out of the building, handcuffed and arrested with additional police support," the letter reads.
The parent was "charged" and will be issued a "no trespass" order, according to CASD. It is not immediately clear what the parent was charged with.
The district's letter notes that the actions were "a breach of school security" and any such actions warrant "arrest and legal action under trespassing law and school safety policies."
Members of the community were largely divided over the incident, with some calling it "ridiculous" on CASD's Facebook page.
"It's a parent, not a stranger!" Sara Ginette Nolin wrote. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing when the school called. Totally uncalled for and bogus."
"It’s one thing to tell the parent 'hey, if you want to eat lunch with your son, please next time make sure you let us know ahead of time,'" David Casteel added. "But to jump to having them arrested and trespassed is bonkers."
However, others applauded CASD, arguing such safety precautions are necessary.
You can't have anyone just walking around the school like that without permission!" Corinne Paci Miller wrote. "Can't be too careful these days!!"
Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) reached out to CASD for comment, but did not immediately receive a response. This story will be updated if a response is received.
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