TOWAMENCIN — Before the verbal barrage began at a North Penn School Board meeting Thursday, dozens of residents gathered outside to express themselves peacefully.
“Welcome, all you taxpayers and patriots. We are all here to support God, our country, and our community,” said John Gannon of Upper Gwynedd.
Gannon, a U.S. Navy veteran during the Vietnam War, was one of several speakers among about 40 residents who gathered outside North Penn High School on Thursday night, to speak up before a heated meeting that drew over an hour of public comment from residents bashing the current school board over books in schools and COVID-19 policies.
Gannon said he’s lived in the area for 71 years and wanted residents to know his opinion on “what our current school board thinks is a good curriculum: It’s anti-American, it’s anti-family, and it’s poison for our community.”
Tom Borneman, head of the Upper Gwynedd Republican Committee, led the group in a prayer, gathered around two American flags as district security staff watched from the high school’s front stairway.
“Precious God, we thank you for this beautiful country, this land of the free. We thank you for your wisdom, that you imparted on our founders, to make this a great land for freedom, where people can live in a world without fear,” he said.
“We thank you for all these people, these great patriots that came out tonight. We thank you for their courage, their wisdom, their judgment, and we pray that you’ll guide us in wisdom, tonight and in all our affairs. We love all Americans, regardless of race, creed or color. We thank you for the love you’ve given us in our hearts, and we honor you. Amen,” Borneman said.
Before the speakers shared their thoughts, a loudspeaker played traditional tunes including “Proud to be an American,” “Glory, glory, Hallelujah,” “Am I the Only One?” The group said the pledge of allegiance together at the start of the protest.
Bill Patchell, a resident of Montgomery Township and longtime critic of the current school board, said he’s “been fighting all these people, all this time, and now I’m glad to see that the public is finally awoke.”
As passersby headed into the high school for the board meeting, Patchell reiterated his long list of criticisms against the board and incumbents running for re-election next week — Tina Stoll, Christian Fusco, Jonathan Kassa and Al Roesch — including higher taxes, increasing numbers of staff retirements and students leaving in-person school for virtual instruction, and the board’s handling of the case of Ashley Bennett, a district administrator who resigned in 2020 after uproar over a private Facebook post.
“What about loss of free speech? We have Ashley Bennett, talking on Facebook, expressing her own private opinion, and they put her under a hot light, made her resign, and now they’ve got a gag order. I wonder how much the ‘Stoll Gang’ had to pay. It’s ridiculous,” he said.
After Borneman and Gannon spoke, the two handed over the microphone to Yanni Lambros, a Republican candidate for Lansdale borough council, who also shared his thoughts about the school board.
“I saw a school board that sits there, and preaches down to everyone. Not looking at us as equals, even though they preach equality. Then, they don’t take the concerns of parents, or even students, seriously — unless it follows their agenda,” he said.
“I decided to run for Lansdale council, and I decided to assist all these various groups, to help regain freedom. Because we do not work for them. They’re not my mommy or daddy, neither are they yours. They’re there to support the school, support the parents, support the community, not to throw their names on stadiums, not to throw money around, not to talk down to people,” Lambros said.
He then introduced Vicky Flannery, head of the local “Moms for Liberty” chapter, who warned of the content several members would subsequently read during public comments in the school board meeting — and who was greeted with a handful of “Let’s Go Brandon” cheers from the crowd.
“We support all children, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. We fight for all children, and all parents in their right to support their children within a school, the way they see is best fit,” she said.
The group then sang “God Bless America” before heading into the school board meeting.
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