Boise school trustee Shiva Rajbhandari was tackled during a protest against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a campaign event in Iowa last week.
Rajbhandari, a Boise High School graduate now attending the University of North Carolina, called DeSantis a “climate criminal” during the protest.
NBC News posted footage from the Ames, Iowa protest on YouTube. In the video, Rajbhandari can be heard asking DeSantis, “How much money have you taken from oil companies?”
Seconds later, DeSantis shook his head, smiled and pointed at Rajbhandari on the ground. “This is (what’s) wrong with the college system right there. That’s exhibit A.”
It is the second time in four months that Rajbhandari showed up at a public protest. He was arrested in September during a protest outside the Federal Reserve’s New York City offices. The charges were later dropped, according to the Idaho Press.
Boise School Board President Dave Wagers criticized his colleague in a statement.
“Personally, I found Trustee Rajbhandari’s recent antics in Iowa disrespectful, “Wagers said, according to the Idaho Press. “More importantly, his behavior undermines the work our Board, our teachers, and our administrators do every day to ensure our students and families are treated with respect and dignity.”
Elected in September 2022, at the start of his senior year at Boise High, Rajbhardari is in the middle of a two-year term. He is continuing to serve on the board while attending college.
