“She’s like, ‘Well no this has to come from corporate and you have to do this before you get on the plane,’” LaShaunda said. Before then LaShaunda said airport personnel had been helpful to her and her family.

“Everyone was so nice, and you know the ticket agent there even gave us preboarding because he looked at my son, and you know noticed [her son was special needs], and then a lady from TSA came and got us and she’s like, ‘No you come here we’re going to get him through’,” she said.

“He’s autistic, he has a hard time, so he’s non-verbal,” LaShaunda told CBS 4-KMOV. “He will not keep a mask on his face, we have tried and tried, he just won’t do it.”

LaShaunda says she tried to provide the attendant with proof that every member of her family was vaccinated. After continued talking with the attendant and calling the news station, the family was allowed to board the flight. Then when it seemed like everything would go on as planned a manager came up to the family.

“Here comes the manager again and she’s like, ‘I need you to come with me,’” LaShaunda told the news station, claiming the manager then explained she would not be allowed to take flight because she allegedly removed her mask while talking to the attendant. While her husband and son were both allowed to remain on the flight, they ultimately joined LaShaunda back at the gate.

Southwest issued a statement of its own to KMOV addressing the situation:

“While boarding Flight 4238 this morning from St. Louis to Long Beach, there were concerns with documentation related to a Customer seeking a mask policy exemption for their child. Our Ground Operations Team and Flight Crew worked out a solution to allow the family to travel. However, once onboard, one of the members of the family was asked to deplane following a conversation with out Flight Attendants and for not complying with the federal mask mandate. Ultimately, our Flight Crews are responsible for the Safety, Security, and comfort of all Crew Members and Customers onboard. Once in the gate area, our St. Louis Team explained the situation and rebooked the Customers on a different flight.”

After the incident LaShaunda went on Facebook to share the ordeal with others. “We were kicked off a Southwest flight in St. Louis this morning because our son Trey, who is severely Autistic would not wear a mask. We called the airline before we left California and were told to get a letter from his psychiatrist, which we did. We flew her from California with no problem” she wrote.

LaShaunda disputes the claim that she removed her mask; instead she believes her removal from the flight was in retaliation to her making her experience public through the news. LaShaunda says her fight is far from over.

“I will fight this fight all the way for my son and other family who is or has gone through this before,” she wrote on social.

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