On Sept. 10, the first day of in-person classes for Fountain Hills Unified School District students, Sheriff’s deputies were called to McDowell Mountain Elementary School in anticipation of a confrontation with a parent over his child not wearing a face covering.

“The school requested deputies be present in the morning as…they anticipated a potential issue with the father of this child due to prior contacts with him,” an MCSO statement said. “Deputies were present to keep the peace, should the father make a scene if the school turned the child away if he showed up to school without a mask.”

The father, J.J. Anaya, told The Times he had presented the school with a doctor’s note stating his child’s exemption from wearing a mask on campus. He said the school copied the note, but made no indication that there was an issue. According to the statement from MCSO, the father was told the note did not constitute an exemption to wearing a mask.

When the father was called to pick up his child due to their refusal to wear a face covering, Anaya recorded the incident and posted it to social media. MCSO was called to the scene in advance because, according to the report, Anaya had been verbally abusive to staff in the past and they wanted to avoid a scene or confrontation.

Following the incident, Anaya was trespassed from all district sites.

This story is still developing. Additional details will be provided in the Sept. 16 edition of The Times.