A California high school principal was placed on administrative leave Monday after he seemingly danced inappropriately with a mascot during a pep rally — just three days into the new school year.
Buhach Colony High School principal Robert Nunes was captured rolling himself toward the school’s Viking mascot in an office chair while the song “Pony” by R&B singer Ginuwine played during the 40-second video at Friday’s rally, according to Your Central Valley.
The dance segment took a bizarre turn when Nunes fired off gold confetti at the mascot, who seconds before also appeared to be dancing provocatively.
The principal then stands up face to face with the mascot, trading places in the office chair.
Nunes approaches him and appears to place his hands on the mascot’s chest. He then slides his hand down the character’s chest before being surrounded by other excited students on the gym’s floor, according to a video obtained by the outlet.
“What happens at Buhach stays at Buhach,” Nunes shouted into a mic a play on the infamous saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
The crowd goes wild at his answer, and the principal is seen pushing the mascot out of the room on the rolling chair.
The principal behavior quickly began circulating across social media over the weekend and prompted the Merced Union High School District to suspend Nunes as they investigate the matter, the district’s Director of Communications, Viviana Fuentes, said in a statement to the outlet.
“This decision comes as part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all students and staff,” Fuentes said.
Nunes will also not be allowed to participate in any school-related duties or activities while the district is “conducting a comprehensive review of the situation,” according to the statement.
The investigation remains ongoing. Buhach Colony High School is about 60 miles outside Fresno, Cali.
The father of a Buhach Colony High School student, Ryan Attebery, told Your Central Valley that he was confused about Nunes’ behavior during the pep rally.
“I was like, did the kids know what was going on? Like, was everybody else getting it?” Attebery said he asked his son.
“He said, ‘Everybody got it, like we all got it.’ And, you know, he’s a freshman, that’s his first, like two, three days at school.”
According to Attebery’s son, the students organized the dance, and the pep rally was a Las Vegas theme.
Attebery said he then shared the footage on his social media, feeling uneasy that other parents in the district may not be aware of the incident.
“At the end of the day, I would feel super guilty if, five years from now, something came out and I could have said something,” the concerned father explained.
Attebery said the video has garnered mixed reactions online, and some believe the video leading to Nunes’ suspension is a casualty of “cancel culture.”
“A lot of former students commented and were like, ‘Well, I kind of liked him, what happened?’ I’m not into cancel culture. I’m just like, ‘hey, parents, you have the right to know.’”
While Attebery and others are concerned over the principal’s behavior, other parents disagree with Nunes’s punishment
“I do not think that it’s right how much of like that he’s under such a huge investigation,” an anonymous parent told ABC30.
“I do believe that the kids liked the pep rally. They thought it was fun I understand what they’re doing but I think they’re putting too much on him.”