Connecticut school board meeting boils over resulting in board member being punched in face

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for December 15

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

A Connecticut school board member was punched in the face during a contentious meeting Tuesday night about the school’s decision to retire its mascot, according to reports.

The Glastonbury Board of Education's meeting was held inside the Glastonbury High School auditorium, Fox 61 reported. 

During a recess, a man who addressed the board and Ray McFall, the school board member, got into a heated confrontation.

A Glastonbury,Connecticut school board member was punched in the face during a contentious meeting Tuesday night about the school’s decision to retire its mascot, according to reports.

MISSOURI SCHOOL BOARD MEETING ON MASKS ENDS WITH PARKING LOT BRAWL

The two were in each other's faces and McFall could be seen shoving the man who responds by punching McFall, who stumbled to the floor. The two were broken up by people at the meeting.

"If somebody was in my face I guess I too would probably act out, I don’t know if I’d hit someone, but it is your personal space,"Jennifer Muller, a parent who watched the meeting virtually, told NBC Connecticut. 

Police said they are investigating. No arrests were made. 

The NBC report said some parents were unhappy with the decision to retire the high school's old Tomahawks mascot. They claimed that they did not have the chance to voice their opinions about the move due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The man seen striking McFall addressed the school board earlier and witnesses told the station that he may have been upset because McFall, who was in charge of telling people when their three minutes expired, cut him off. They also said McFall went into the audience to confront the man. The school board refused to comment when reached by Fox News.

GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"The Board of Education welcomes public comment and appreciates that there will always be passionate testimony when controversial issues are considered," Alan Bookman, the superintendent, said in a statement obtained by the Hartford Courant. "But it is critical that we listen to each other with respect and follow meeting rules so that everyone can be heard."