A Montgomery County school board trustee is facing pressure to resign after he allegedly made lewd posts about Vice President Kamala Harris.
The controversy began on social media but became the focus of the Souderton Area School District’s regular board meeting on Wednesday night.
In late July, School Board Trustee William Formica allegedly posted derogatory sexual comments about Vice President Kamala Harris on social media, before people took screenshots and reposted them all over the internet after his comments were deleted.
On Wednesday night, the board — which Formica was not present — said the meeting was not scheduled to address Formica’s remarks. The crowd began booing and members stood up and walked out.
“I have a daughter, and I don’t want her to grow up thinking these men are right, that you have to get to positions of power by other means and not by hard work,” said Corinne DeGeisso, a member of the Souderton Responsible Leadership Community.
The school board released a statement saying Formica used inappropriate language and poor judgment, and board members asked for “time to process the situation.”
A Change.com petition calling for Formica’s resignation has garnered more than 1,800 signatures, but some people don’t think he should step down.
While many say his past comments on social media have been offensive, they are pleased with how he has handled other school board business.
“He does a lot of the financial management of the district, and he’s very competent in that regard,” said Caitlin Destin of Valley Conservative Voice.
“He also supported parental rights, child protections and the policies that would make that happen. And that hasn’t changed,” said Bruce Hagan, conservative voice of Indian Valley.
An action meeting has been scheduled for August 29, with many parents again calling for the principal’s resignation.
NBC10 reached out to Formica for comment and asked if he would be attending the action meeting, but did not hear back.
