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Man interrupts Iowa kindergarten concert with chant, 'English only, U.S.A.'

The unidentified man was ejected from the concert at the Perry Performing Arts Center.

By Ben Hooper
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PERRY, Iowa, April 28 (UPI) -- A man was ejected from an Iowa kindergarten concert for chanting "English only, U.S.A." while a Spanish-language interpreter was speaking.

The Thursday concert at the Perry Performing Arts Center was brought to a brief halt when a man stood up and started repeatedly yelling "English Only, U.S.A." while a Spanish-language interpreter translated previous remarks for Hispanic parents.

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The man was booed by audience members as he was led from the venue by school staff in a pair of videos shot by attendees Juan Jose Ordonez Deleon and Jeremy Golumski.

Sgt. Jerome Hill of the Perry Police Department said police were made aware of the situation Friday, but no arrests were made.

District Superintendent M. Lynn Ubben sent an email to staff praising them for a "quick and appropriate response to an unfortunate disruption."

"We live in a diverse/people rich community that values all people and our children truly are our most precious resource," Ubben wrote. "As our elementary music instructor so eloquently said, 'Our children don't see color, they just see their friends.'"

Iowa Department of Education statistics revealed Perry's kindergarten class was about 50 percent Hispanic/Latino during the 2013-14 school year.

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