GLASTONBURY, Conn. (1010 WINS) — A Connecticut town's board of education meeting quickly ended in a fight on Tuesday night.
The brawl, which was caught on tape, showed a man punching Glastonbury board member Ray McFall during a meeting over the high school's mascot, which was changed last year from the Tomahawks to the Guardians.
In the video obtained by WFSB 3, both men can be seen in an apparent heated exchange amid a 10-minute meeting recess. Within seconds, McFall pushed the man, who then returned with a punch to McFall's face, knocking him to the ground.
Eyewitnesses, who surrounded the duo, quickly reacted by pulling the two men apart.
WFSB reports their fight led the board to quickly shelve the meeting after it was originally intended to debate returning the school's mascot back to the Tomahawks.
A petition that reportedly garnered more than 2,500 signatures argued the board's decision did not have enough input as COVID-19 restricted in-person meetings.
"We were not afforded the opportunity to provide meaningful input in person during the period of the Covid pandemic and related shutdowns on the matter of the Glastonbury High School (GHS) TOMAHAWKS mascot name which was directed to be cancelled and changed to another name by a select group of individuals from within and outside the Glastonbury community," the petition read.
On Wednesday, Superintendent Alan Brookman explained the incident in a statement and stressed the need to respect other views.
"An incident occurred during the recess which resulted in the Board adjourning the meeting without voting on the matter. The Board of Education welcomes public comment and appreciates that there will always be passionate testimony when controversial issues are considered. But it is critical that we listen to each other with respect and follow meeting rules so that everyone can be heard," he said.
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