A NUMBER of people turned out in Texas to show support for a mother who was charged with endangering a child after locking her 13-year-old son in the trunk of her car to take him for a Covid-19 test.

Supporters, including former students, hung placards and encouragement letters at the teacher’s home in Jersey Village, Texas.

Sarah Beam, 41, had last week driven to Pridgeon Stadium in Houston, where people can get tested without getting out of their car.

She told the site manager that she was there for her son, who had previously tested positive, and explained that she had put him in the trunk of her car so as to not risk being infected herself.

The site worker asked to see the teenager and told her that no test could be done until he was in the back seat of the vehicle. She then alerted police, who verified her story with surveillance cameras.

Beam was arrested on suspicion of endangering a child on Saturday, and released on US$1,500 (RM6,200) bail the next day.

On Monday, her former students came to her house to defend her, putting up messages of support.

One wrote that she is “a real hero with no cape, an asset to the school and a blessing to the students”, while another said she is an “amazing teacher, empowering woman and a loving mother”.

Cardboard signs hanging from the windows of the house said “we stand with you always” and “don’t judge a book by its cover”.

Beam is currently “on administrative leave”, announced her school.

Court officials have not yet announced when her case will be heard. – AFP, January 11, 2022.