GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County School Board meeting Thursday night ended with two parents in handcuffs.
District officials have confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that two parents were taken into custody before making it into the meeting itself.
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One woman at the meeting shared cell phone video she shot of the arrests with Channel 2 anchor Justin Wilfon. The dramatic video shows a woman struggling with an officer as she is arrested.
Thursday night’s meeting was the first with new safety and security measures put into place. Those attending the meetings would have to pass through a metal detector and security screening before they could enter the meeting.
These new safety measures come in response to several heated meetings surrounding masks in schools.
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A school district spokesperson says one woman was arrested when she tried to run through the metal detectors. Police later found scissors in her purse.
Officials say she then grabbed the scissors and struggled with the officer. She is being charged with obstruction of a police officer.
The other person was arrested outside of the meeting after the District asked her not to return following her behavior at last month’s meeting. She is charged with trespassing.
Several Gwinnett County School Board meetings over the last few months have seen hundreds of impassioned parents make their opinions on several controversial topics, including mask mandates in the school district.
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Parents are divided on whether or not they feel the metal detectors were necessary. Some calling it an unneeded hassle and others saying they believe it helped lead to peace inside the meeting.
“Two miles down the road, Peachtree Ridge High School, there’s no metal detectors,” said parent Michael Tweedy.
“I think it was needed. I was here last month and thought it was a little over the top,” parent Aquana Raffington told Wilfon.
The identities of the parents involved have not been released.
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