An astonishing YouTube video published Tuesday shows Chris Kirby—an attorney with the East Ramapo School District—hurling a salvo of swear-words at parents during a heated back-and-forth in a school parking lot.

At one point in the four-minute video, Kirby tells a woman to “shut up” and comments on her weight—and then utters what many would consider the most offensive word in the English language.

The spat took place Tuesday night, on the heels of a lengthy and polemic school board meeting. Footage from the gathering shows parent Peggy Hatton discussing her son’s recent failure of a standardized test by one point.

Her son attends Spring Valley High School and is a special education student, Hatton says.

During the school board footage, Hatton accuses Kirby of “smirking” while she talks.

“Oh, will you please shut up?” Kirby responds.

In the parking lot video, filmed shortly afterward, viewers see Kirby approach Hatton.

“Call the police, call the police!” someone shouts as he approaches.

Kirby then unleashes a string of four-letter words, and challenges a parent to a fight.

“I’m standing in your way—you going to do something about it?” he says.

Kirby then walks back to his idling car, but turns on his heel to once again confront parents.

“Hide behind your women,” he says to one man.

You can hear a bystander communicating with police. “There is an incident in the parking lot,” the woman shouts into the receiver. “There’s going to be a fight—get over here, now.”

Later in the video, parents accuse Kirby of “hiding behind his paycheck,” and speculate as to whether or not he is drunk.

The East Ramapo School District released a brief statement about the incident shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday.

The statement reads, “We are deeply troubled by the events that occurred immediately following the conclusion of our school board meeting last night. The board has taken the matter under advisement and will address it at a special session.”

Later in the day, the East Ramapo Board of Education announced  that it will hold a special meeting 7 p.m. Monday, July 8 in the administration building at 106 South Madison Ave. in Spring Valley to “consider matters lawfully coming before the board.” This meeting may include an executive session

Reached Wednesday afternoon, Peggy Hatton said she was shell shocked by the incident.

“It’s just starting to sink in how awful that was,” she said.

Hatton said she and other taxpayers are looking at legal avenues. They will sign a police report tomorrow and expect to reach out to the Rockland County District Attorney and New York State Bar Association and will seek legal advice on steps they can take.  She said she sent the videos to the state Education Commissioner and Special Education Department among others. She called upon Governor Andrew Cuomo to come to the district and get involved.

“I’m 53 years old and I have never in my entire life been spoken to in such a derogatory, defamatory way,” she said.

Hatton said as reprehensible as what she experienced was, it is nothing in comparision to what the students in the district have lost.

East Ramapo parents have long complained about the district’s poor financial status and allocation of its diminished resources. Its fiscal condition has drawn the attention of the state Education Department.  Officials have called for changes in the state aid formula for East Ramapo which has more students attending private religious schools than its public schools.

The district’s budget for 2013-2014 was initially rejected by voters in May. A reduced budget was passed on the second try.

Kirby is an attorney at the Minerva and D’Agostino lawfirm in Valley Stream, a receptionist there told Patch.

Senator David Carlucci was swift to weigh in Wednesday, calling for Kirby’s firing.

“Last night, Chris Kirby, an attorney representing the East Ramapo School Board, launched an inexcusable tirade and verbal attack towards a group of concerned parents and advocates after a school board meeting in the parking lot,” Carlucci said. “These actions were reprehensible and uncalled for in their entirety and demonstrate a lack of professional conduct that should never be tolerated.”

“I believe this warrants swift and appropriate action to ensure that this type of incident never happens again,” he added. “Today, I am calling on the school board to immediately terminate Mr. Kirby’s contract.”

Kirby’s behavior was described as “repulsive” by Suffern Mayor Dagan Lacorte, who is running for county executive.

“He must apologize and be immediately terminated from further business with the East Ramapo School District,” said Lacorte.  Taxpayer-paid lawyers  can not insult the people of our community, no matter what their views.  This conduct is outrageous and unprofessional.”

Source: Patch.com