Florida father arrested after he allegedly pushed student while protesting mask mandate

Dan Bauman is known around Florida for protesting COVID-19 mask regulations, but on Wednesday he was arrested and charged with child abuse after allegedly pushing a student, police records show.

Bauman and his daughter were arguing with a resource officer outside Fort Lauderdale High School, protesting the school's mask mandate again when another student grew tired of the daily commotion outside the school.

“I’ve had enough for four days,” the student said, according to an arrest report.

As the student spoke up, she noticed Bauman was recording her, so she reached for his phone. Police records state Bauman then grabbed her hand, twisted it and pushed her against the gate, and officers had to pull Bauman off the student.

Bauman was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated child abuse, according to the arrest report.

Bauman has been issued at least five trespassing warnings by Fort Lauderdale police since 2020 over mask violations, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

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The incident Wednesday was recorded with the resource officer's body camera, who wrote in the police report that he turned on his camera because Bauman "is known to cause disruption due to protesting the school board's mask policy."

Debates have boiled over in Florida following Gov. Ron DeSantis' executive order banning schools from issuing mask mandates as precautionary measures against the spread of COVID-19. DeSantis has threatened to withhold state funding equal to the salaries of the superintendents and all school board members should schools ignore the ban.

However, the Broward County school district, which includes the school where Bauman was arrested, has argued state law indicates school systems can enact dress-related requirements, including masks, to protect students and staff members, NBC Miami reported.

Since Aug. 18, just one student out of more than 2,200 at Fort Lauderdale High School has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the county’s coronavirus dashboard.

“It’s against the law, it’s against the Parents’ Bill of Rights,” Bauman told WFOR on Wednesday before his arrest. “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, a sophomore at the high school, told WFOR that students should choose whether they want to wear masks.

“I want 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.

In August, Home Depot alerted local police after Bauman w a pink underwear over his face after refusing to wear a mask. Months later, he was warned by police about trespassing at a Publix grocery store after he tried to enter maskless. Local packaging and UPS stores have called to complain about Bauman various times over mask violations as well, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Follow Gabriela Miranda on Twitter: @itsgabbymiranda

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Police say Florida dad pushed student while protesting mask mandate