Diane Vargo: Arizona school principal gets death threats for asking student to quarantine
Arizona elementary school principal Diane Vargo, who was ambushed by Rishi Rambaran for asking his son to follow COVID-19 protocols, has spoken out after the shocking incident. On September 2, Rambaran and his two friends entered Vargo's office at Mesquite Elementary School and attempted to 'arrest' her with military-grade zip ties. They threatened her for asking his son to quarantine after the student had a possible COVID-19 exposure. Rambaran was later nabbed by Arizona police and charged with trespassing.
Vargo has finally spoken out since the ordeal, revealing that she has received emails with death threats since the incident. In an interview with KOLD, she read out the email on camera which said, "The next time it will be a barrel pointed at your Nazi face. Following the guidance you say? The Nazis were just following orders too. Guess we will have to see what side you choose. The Americans or the Nazis. Remember, Tucson is a small community and you have a target on your back for enforcing unlawful orders." However, she has not disclosed who was the sender of the email.
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The previous week, Vargo had asked Rishi Rambaran's son, a student at Mesquite Elementary School, to be put in quarantine — which would make him miss a field trip. The child was reportedly pulled from class and taken to the nurse's station and made to wear a mask. The rule has been delineated by Prima County Health Department to avoid the spread of COVID and is meant to be observed across the state.
However, Vargo's request did not sit well with Rishi Rambaran who insisted that the principal was breaking the law. He claimed that his son was forced to take the mask out of a garbage can and wear it after he threw it in. "I am going to file charges against them," he said, before entering into the school while his friend live-streamed the incident. The group then threatened to call the Sheriff and push for a "citizen's arrest" when Vargo intervened and asked them to come into her office.
"I came here to tell you that this is not going to happen. My son is not going to be sent home. He is not going to be quarantined. My son will go back to class," he told Vargo, while his friend brandished "law enforcement grade zip ties". They eventually left the school premises after the school authorities were forced to call the police.
Recounting the harrowing incident, Vargo later shared, "They just walked right in and one of them had a phone out and was recording everything again and then the other man was standing in my doorway with military-grade back zip ties in his hands. I asked them to leave and they would not. In order for our school to remain open, we have to follow Pima County Health Department. I tried to explain that. He didn’t want to hear it."
During an emotional interview, she added that she felt 'scared' and 'violated' by Rambaran and his friends.
