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Connecticut school board meeting erupted into violence after a parent punched a board member on Tuesday. - The tense meeting was called to discuss Glastonbury High School's former Native American-inspired mascot.
An ideological battle over a controversial Connecticut school mascot turned physical on Tuesday when a parent punched a board of education member in the face during a public school board meeting.
Cell phone video captured the physical altercation between parent Mark Finocchiaro and board secretary Ray McFall at this week's Glastonbury Public Schools meeting, where members of the public were debating whether Glastonbury High School should restore its former Native American-inspired mascot, the tomahawk, after it was retired in 2020, according to the Hartford Courant.
The high school changed its mascot from a tomahawk to a knight's helmet and renamed its sports teams the Glastonbury Guardians amid the national reckoning over race in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, The Daily Beast reported. At the time, the district formed a committee to discuss the change, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Glastonbury school board only accepted online input from the community, according to the outlet.
Residents of the city started a petition arguing they had been denied the chance to provide "meaningful input" on the change and demanded the school's tomahawk mascot be reinstated, The Beast reported. Tuesday's meeting was specifically called to allow in-person debate on the topic.
The months-long conflict came to a head during a 10-minute recess at this week's meeting following a tense session of public comment on the topic.
Cell phone footage shows Finocchiaro, 53, approaching McFall, 57, and standing face-to-face with the former Marine Corps officer. McFall lightly shoves Finocchiaro away from him, prompting the father to slug the school board member across the face, knocking him to the ground.
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McFall did not appear to be seriously injured. Bystanders quickly separated the two men.
A spokesperson for the Glastonbury Police told the Courant that authorities are investigating the incident, and no charges have been filed yet. The department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Finocchiaro's niece, Miranda Beach, told The Beast she filmed the altercation. She said her uncle and family have been instructed not to comment on the incident " because we're in contact with lawyers and the police."
Neither Finocchiaro, nor McFall immediately responded to Insider's request for comment.
Glastonbury Public Schools Superintendent Alan Bookman told The Beast the altercation forced the board to adjourn the meeting early without having a chance to vote on the matter at hand.
"The Board of Education welcomes public comment and appreciates that there will always be passionate testimony when controversial issues are considered," the statement said. "But it is critical that we listen to each other with respect and follow meeting rules so that everyone can be heard."
Bookman did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
The fiasco is one of the latest examples of a troubling new trend of school board meetings erupting into violence as passionate parents clash with administrators over hot-button issues like masks, vaccines, and critical race theory.