A Nevada first-grader refused to remove his face covering for a school photograph because his mother told him to always keep it on.
"My mom said to keep it on all the time unless I'm eating and far away from everybody," Mason Peoples allegedly told the photographer, according to his mother, Nicole Peoples.
The photographer then told the boy, "I'm sure it's OK to take it off for your pictures."
"No, my mom seriously told me to make sure to keep it on," the boy responded.
When the photographer asked for a final time whether the boy would take off his mask for a quick photo, the child said, "No, thank you. I always listen to my mom!"
Nicole Peoples wrote in a Facebook post that she was "so proud of him for sticking to his word," but acknowledged that she "should have been more clear" about her rules for picture day.
She has set up a GoFundMe after many Facebook users told her they wanted to send gifts or money for Mason's college fund.
"Mason and I are overjoyed and in awe of the outpouring of love that we have received over his picture day school picture," the boy's mother said on the GoFundMe page. "Thank you for showing him that his honesty and integrity will make a big difference in this world."
The fundraiser has raised more than $20,000 as of Sunday morning.
This comes amid a national debate about how students can return to school safely. Some states have reinstated mask mandates for children while others have banned face covering requirements.
Nevada has had coronavirus 416,496 cases and 7,015 people in the state have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 tracker.
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