A woman who was caught on a viral video repeatedly coughing on a baby during a social distancing dispute has been fired her job with a San Jose, California school district.
Oak Grove School District in San Jose announced over the weekend that the woman, whom it did not identify, was no longer an employee with the district.
“We want to inform our community that the District employee who was alleged to have engaged in this conduct is no longer an employee of our District,” the district said in a statement. “The Oak Grove School District’s highest priority is the safety of our students and the well-being of all of the children in the community we serve. We do not tolerate conduct from any employee that compromises any child’s safety,” the district said.
As the Daily Boulder reported last month, the incident took place on June 12, when a White woman described as being in her 60s was standing in line at a local Yogurtland store in front of another woman and her child in a stroller, according to the San Jose Police Department.
Video showed the first woman coughing in the face of the baby as the mother rushes to protect him.
“The preliminary investigation revealed the suspect was upset the female was not maintaining proper social distancing so the suspect removed her face mask, got close to the baby’s face, and coughed two to three times,” police Sgt. Enrique Garcia said last month.
The San Jose Police Department has not named the woman suspected of coughing on the child because she has not been apprehended.
“We can’t release the names of suspects until there is a warrant for their arrest, they were booked into jail, or they were issued a criminal citation,” Garcia said last month. “We are not sharing additional information at this time. The investigation is ongoing and we are following up on tips.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that people stay at least six feet — or two arms’ length — from others outside their household to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The virus also spreads from air droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, the agency says.
