Dan Bauman, 50, (pictured) was charged with aggravated child abuse for shoving a student outside Fort Lauderdale High, shortly after protesting the school’s mask mandate with his 15-year-old daughter, Isobel.
The father of a Fort Lauderdale teenager was arrested Wednesday, accused of assaulting a student outside his daughter’s high school during an argument over mask mandates.
Dan Bauman, 50, was charged with aggravated child abuse for shoving a student outside Fort Lauderdale High, shortly after protesting the school’s mask mandate with his 15-year-old daughter, Isobel.
Bauman and his daughter arrived on school property Wednesday morning, accompanied by a small group carrying signs protesting the district’s mask mandate.
Isobel, who is a 10th-grader in her first year at the school, refuses to wear a mask and has been denied admittance each day by faculty members.
The sophomore told reporters she ‘wants to be able to go to school like everyone does but I can’t wear a mask.’
‘I can’t breathe in it and I want to have that choice,’ she said.
As Isobel continued speaking with reporters, a group of students on the school’s campus began chanting, ‘Wear a Mask, Wear a Mask’ toward Isobel and her father.
According to police reports, Bauman pushed the student by the shoulder, and then ‘grabbed her hand and twisting her arm in an aggressive manner’
On Wednesday, a student approached Bauman and said “I’ve had enough for four days” and attempted to grab his cellphone as he was recording when the incident occurred
Police arrived and arrested Bauman immediately after the incident
Dan Bauman insisted to CBS Miami reporters, ‘First of all, it’s illegal for them to mandate it. It’s against the law, it’s against the Parents Bill of Rights. Our belief is it doesn’t stop the spread of the virus. It doesn’t control it, it does more harm than good.’
But Fort Lauderdale High School Class President Raymond Adderly told reporters, ‘They say that they stand for kids whereas they’re actually distracting them right now.’
At one point, a student approached Bauman and said, ‘I’ve had enough for four days’ before attempting to grab his cellphone as he was recording, police said.
According to police reports, Bauman pushed the student by the shoulder, and then ‘grabbed her hand and twisting her arm in an aggressive manner.’
Police arrived and arrested Bauman.
More than half of Florida‘s students are enrolled in public schools that will implement mask mandates this coming school year – ignoring Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order to make the face coverings illegal.
Before the incident, Bauman told CBS Miami reporters, ‘First of all, it’s illegal for them to mandate it. It’s against the law, it’s against the Parents Bill of Rights. Our belief is it doesn’t stop the spread of the virus. It doesn’t control it, it does more harm than good.’
Bauman’s daughter, Isobel, who is a 10th-grader in her first year at the school, refuses to wear a mask and has been denied admittance each day by faculty members
Indian River and Sarasota counties joined Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Leon, Alachua, Palm Beach, Orange and Duval in mandating that students mask up for the coming school year.
According to Florida Department of Education enrollment tallies for 2020-21, the 10 counties combine for about 52 percent of the total school population. There were 2,791,687 students enrolled last year, and the combined enrollment of those counties exceeds 1.45 million, according to The Associated Press.
The Fort Lauderdale school’s interim principal, Sean Curran, said the school’s hands are tied and that the administration is just following the guidance of the Broward County school district.
Over half of Florida’s students are enrolled in public schools that will implement mask mandates this coming school year, despite attempts by Governor Ron DeSantis to make them illegal
As Florida’s cases continue to soar, the state reported a seven-day rolling average of 21,706 new cases daily on Saturday
‘Our kids are incredible,’ Curran said. ‘Every single one of them is wearing it and are supportive of what the measures are to keep everyone safe.’
The 10 districts’ policies are in defiance of DeSantis’ July 30th executive order to protect ‘parents freedom to choose’ whether or not their children had to wear masks in schools.
‘I didn’t have to be like, held down by someone and like, tape a mask on my face this morning, I put this mask on my face,’ Fort Lauderdale High student, Elena Morabant said.
‘We all chose to wear a mask today, to come to school and protect our friends,’ she added.
As Florida’s cases continue to soar, the state reported a seven-day rolling average of 21,706 new cases a day last week.
The state also recorded an additional 1,071 deaths, a daily average of 153, in the health department’s weekly report.
This brings the statewide total to 2,877,214 cases and 40,766 deaths.