A public comment session before Glastonbury Public Schools board of education meeting grew heated on Tuesday night. At issue was the desire by school alumni who wish to bring back the school's tomahawks name and logo that was dumped in August 2020 by the school board.
The emotions about the issue grew so intense, one enraged parent slugged the school board secrerary in the face during a 10-minute recess. The angry parent slugged the school board secretary hard enough that he fell to the floor, but was able to get back up on his own.
As of Wednesday, city police department in Glastonbury, Conn. was still investigating the violent incident.
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The school board voted in August 2020 to terminate the tomahawks logo. The vote came within three of months after George Floyd was murdered by then Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
The school board chairman said in August 2020 that the school board took the George Floyd killing and the Black Lives Matter movement into consideration when debating to dump the racist logo. Additionally, the National Congress of American Indian contacted the school district to encourage it to get rid of the tomahawks logo.
“It was kind of a combination of those things, part of a broader cultural shift,” board Chairman Doug Foyle told the Hartford Courant at the time.
After the school board voted to dump the Glastonbury Tomahawks name, the new name chosen was the Glastonbury Guardians. With the new name, came a knight’s helmet that was designed by a Glastonbury High School student.
The change has been difficult for Glastonbury community members who circulated a petition to bring back the tomahawks logo.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school board of education meetings have been held virtually. However, the board of education decided to hold an in-person meeting on Tuesday to allow the community to voice their opinions.
Because of the violent incident, the school board adjourned its meeting without a vote on the issue.
“The Board of Education welcomes public comment and appreciates that there will always be passionate testimony when controversial issues are considered,” Glastonbury schools superintendent Alan Bookman said in a statement. “But it is critical that we listen to each other with respect and follow meeting rules so that everyone can be heard.”
Tuesday’s slugging incident did not result in any serious physical injuries. As of Wednesday evening, there were no arrests made.
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