Dave Calus: Unmasked NY dad assaulted, taken out of school board meeting by guard in video
On Tuesday, January 8, a father who was sitting peacefully at a Webster, New York, school board meeting was taken out of the meeting by a school security guard. The parent, Dave Calus, was instructed to put on a mask three times, according to the Webster Central School District, but he refused. He was then asked to leave, according to the district, but he refused.
Later, the security guard approached the parent, who was sitting down without a mask which is showcased in the video, and spoke to him for approximately four seconds, but it's unclear what he says. The security guy then grabbed the back of the man's chair, dragged him backward, and snatched his jacket until it came off him. Calus turned around to confront the guard but he is pushed out of a back door by him and another security officers.
READ MORE
Moms for Liberty: Islip School isolates 6 students for not wearing masks, parent calls cops
"What are you doing?!," the woman filming the video exclaims, "What are you doing?! Holy crap. Holy crap.”
"Do you put your hands on our children, too?" another lady asks the guard. A police officer can be seen strolling calmly out the entrance of the location where the man has been physically taken. A woman who attended the school board meeting stated in the video posted to the Facebook group 'ROC for Educational Freedom Public Page' that Calus had to seek medical assistance at an urgent care after the event.
She further stated that the security guard approached the maskless man while a student was conversing in front of him. When there is a heated subject that parents want to voice concern about, she said, the school board always sends up children who "love the school" and "love the superintendent" to speak, adding that the kids who speak are plainly "hand-selected."
According to the Webster Police Department, school resource officers were present at the February 8 meeting but were not involved in the confrontation. When cops were alerted to the event, they responded from other parts of the facility, according to the police department.
Webster Police Department response to inquiries regarding an incident at the Webster Central School Board meeting on February 8, 2022. pic.twitter.com/ponOC5LJ3C
— Webster, NY (@TownofWebsterNY) February 9, 2022
On Wednesday, January 9, the Webster Central School District issued the following statement: "There was an unfortunate incident during last night's Webster CSD Board of Education meeting. Prior to entering last night's meeting, visitors were reminded to wear masks in school buildings as is mandated by New York State. The individual whom you inquired about was asked to put his mask on three times and he refused. He was then asked to leave the meeting and refused to do so, resulting in Webster CSD security physically removing the individual from the meeting.
"We strive to hold board of education meetings in public in order to inform the community of activities going on in our schools. Those meetings can only occur when everyone in attendance acts in a civil manner. We understand that individuals have strong feelings about masking. We hear those concerns and are continuing to monitor the rapid changes in this ongoing pandemic. This week, the Monroe County Council of School Superintendents wrote a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul advocating for guidance and guidelines regarding an exit strategy for masking and other mitigation strategies. Webster CSD will continue to keep our community informed of any changes to masking requirements in our schools."