A group of parents urged their maskless children to ignore a Michigan school's mask mandate and enter the building, a video posted on social media shows.
The chaotic scene happened Tuesday outside of Manchester Junior and Senior High School in Washtenaw County, about 25 miles southwest of Ann Arbor, NBC affiliate WDIV of Detroit reported. In a video shared on Twitter, a sheriff's deputy is seen telling the parents that an order is in place that requires people entering the school to wear a mask, but he cannot enforce it.
Once the parents confirm the deputy cannot stop them, a man tells the children to go inside. "They can go in, guys," he said. "Go on in, guys. They can't enforce it."
Other parents also begin to urge the children to go past two masked school employees standing at the entrance.
"You guys, they can't touch you. Just go ahead and go in," the man said.
As the children made their way inside, the parents cheered and clapped. Since the video was posted on Twitter on Wednesday, it has been viewed more than 1 million times.
The Manchester Community Schools district and the sheriff's department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. According to WDIV, the students were taken to a library away from others.
Superintendent Brad Bezeau told the news station that following the incident at the school, communications were sent out and students "came in peacefully with masks on" for school Wednesday.
“Manchester has always been a place that’s come together around things," he said. "Hopefully after some struggles, we can do that again, because that’s always been the hallmark for our community.”
The sheriff's office said its deputy was not allowed to enforce the mask policy because they don't cite people for violating a public health order.
"Law enforcement is there to keep the peace, help keep people calm, to de-escalate situations, to explain and to advise," the sheriff's office told WDIV. "We are not there to cite people for PH violation. It can become a legal/enforceable action if things get out of hand and some other enforceable action is needed like an assault or destruction of property."
The district initially made masks optional for all students and staff. On Tuesday, the county health department made masking a requirement for all schools, superseding the district's policy.