CALIFORNIA—A student was berated by his substitute teacher at Lyman Gilmore Middle School in Grass Valley on January 31. Lucas Lillar, 13, was scolded in front of his peers for wearing a facial mask supporting the police.

The teen’s father is a law enforcement officer. The substitute teacher hired by the Nevada County School District indicated that the flag on the mask was not an American flag and referred to the student’s thin blue line mask as, “The New Confederate Flag.” The thin blue line flag is used in support of fallen police officers.

Video captured by one of the students depicts the adult male teacher shouting at the teen over his choice of mask. Students in Grass Valley are required to wear facial masks due to statewide COVID-19 restrictions.

“Well, we can’t do the Confederate, but we can put up the red, white and blue. No, it’s black, white, with some blue line in it,” the substitute can be heard saying on video footage.

Lillar told reporters, “I never had someone talk to me like that, yell at me in my face, especially a teacher.”

The child’s mother, Amanda McCallum wrote the following message via social media:

“This is happening far too often. This country is so divided. Please teach your kids kindness & respect for others, so they don’t grow up to be adults like this coward of a man, bullying students. And let’s please teach our children to stand up for what is RIGHT, even when it’s hard. I am so incredibly proud of my son, but I am also angry & heartbroken that this was even an issue in his classroom. As of now, this substitute teacher has been ‘blacklisted’ from teaching again in this district. The principal has submitted a report & a request to have this Sub ‘black listed’ from teaching again in this county. The next step: the Superintendent will submit a request to the state board, never allowing him to teach in this state again.”

In January 2022, four officers were killed and 27 injured in the line of duty including Fernando Arroyos, a Hollywood Hills, officer who was killed in a gang shooting on January 27. He was laid to rest on February 2.

Nevada County Superintendent of Schools, Scott W. Lay issued the following statement:

“The substitute teacher in question over the mask dispute with an elementary school student in Grass Valley no longer works in this capacity. Being a personnel matter, I cannot comment further.”