10-Year-Old Virginia Student Receives 4 Suspensions in a Week for Refusing to Wear Mask, Vows to Press On

Bronagh McAllister and Neeley McAllister (R) leave Waynewood Elementary School in Alexandria, Va., on Jan. 25, 2022. Courtesy of Neeley McAllister

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va.—Despite receiving four suspensions in five school days, Bronagh McAllister, a 10-year-old in Virginia’s largest school district, has persisted in going maskless to her school.

The fourth grader’s principal, Katie Cachine, who heads Waynewood Elementary School in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), gave Bronagh three one-day suspensions from Jan. 26 to Jan. 28, and a two-day suspension on Monday for refusing to wear a mask in school.