When an Arizona school employee called a parent on Thursday to share that his son had come in close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus, the dad was told his son must stay at home for at least a week.

Instead, later that morning, the man walked into Mesquite Elementary School with his son and two other men carrying zip ties before confronting the principal over the school's quarantine policy, Vail Unified School District Superintendent John Carruth told The Washington Post.

In a meeting with the principal, Carruth said, the men threatened to call local authorities and conduct a "citizen's arrest" if the student was not allowed to rejoin school activities immediately. That is when the principal, who explained that the school was following guidance issued by the local health department, ordered the trio to leave, Carruth said.

"Today was a tough day," he told The Post. "One of the most powerful tools as adults is the behavior that we model to young people — and the behavior that was modeled today makes me really sad."

A spokesperson with the Tucson Police Department confirmed that officers responded to the incident. Police did not identify the three men and did not say whether any charges had been brought against the trio.