CV school principal resigns after 30 years Rock actor allowed to speak to students

NOTE: This post was updated at 4:40 p.m. with some comments from a phone interview with Brian Drapp.

Cumberland Valley School Superintendent Brian Drapp has resigned his seat on the school board over the district's handling of a May 22 middle school assembly featuring author/actor Maulik Pancholy.

But in an interview with PennLive on Tuesday, he said the problem was actually a symptom of deeper problems with how the board operates.

I think you have a board president who just rubber-stamps whatever the superintendent wants, and doesn't consult with the board, Drapp said, adding that for him, that's enough .

Drapp, who was originally elected to the Silver Spring Township Board of Trustees in 2017 and is in the midst of a second four-term term through 2025, announced his resignation Monday in a letter to district officials.

He had objected to Pancholy's appearance at Mountain View Middle School when fellow board member Bud Shaffner initially called for it to be canceled. Shaffner said at that April 15 meeting that he was concerned about, among other things, giving a self-described political activist a platform to potentially promote a gay lifestyle among middle school students.

Drapp never participated in the discussion about Pancholy's sexual orientation.

But he supported the cancellation, consistent with the district's informal policy of avoiding any partisan political events, adopted after a Donald Trump rally was booked at the high school in 2016.

We made a conscious decision years ago after President Trump's rally that took place here caused so much trouble that we would never get involved with either side of the political spectrum, Drapp said after Shaffner presented his initial motion, which passed by an 8-0 vote. I think that falls under that.

In his resignation letter, Drapp said he could not overcome those objections after the board voted 5-4 on April 24, after enormous public resistance to the cancellation, to reschedule the appearance by Pancholy.

I voted twice against a political activist who spoke to our middle school students, Drapp wrote.

I am very uncomfortable with the idea of ​​gathering 12, 13 and 14 year old students to listen to someone who supports violent protests and the organization he co-founded which openly advocates for a change in the structure of our current educational, legal and police system. , many believe it is necessary to overthrow the current system by any means necessary.

There appears to be a reference from Drapps to the Racism is a Virus toolkit on the Drapps website Act to change, Pancholy, a nonprofit that helped start and still presides over, works to end the bullying of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Pancholy's unwritten toolkit provides some advice to anyone on how to protest safely, but does not appear to advocate violent demonstrations.

Pancholy, 48, is perhaps best known to some for playing Jonathan, the troubled executive assistant on NBC's old hit sitcom 30 Rock. Most recently, he appeared in the Hulu comedy Only Murders in the Building.

But he has also become an in-demand speaker in recent years, having written two highly praised novels featuring school-aged protagonists.

The message from Pancholy's assembly at Mountain View Middle School will be about finding your voice, trying to fit in and how to deal with it if you don't, according to Erin Corvaia, a Mountain View mom who also happens to be Pancholy's sister-in-law.

Pancholy came out as gay in 2013. Here's what Pancholy highlights her activism on her website.

Drapp, in his letter and again Tuesday, also expressed disgust at the crowded special meeting in which the board narrowly overturned the original rescission vote. There, he and other speakers received real-time interactive feedback ranging from boos and whistles to standing ovations.

By allowing adults, students, and teachers to disrupt, disrespect, and silence divergent points of view, and by blatantly ignoring rules and standards of common decency, our silence and lack of responsiveness have signaled our students that this type of behavior and actions are acceptable, Drapp wrote. .

Amplifying that concern Tuesday, Drapp asked, “What if the same type of behavior occurs in our buildings or in classrooms? Is this now acceptable? Because we didn't do anything to stop it.

Drapp's resignation was accepted by his former colleagues Monday evening, along with a note of thanks to Drapp for his years of dedication to the district and for his time on the board and its various committees.

District spokeswoman Tracy Panzer said the board will begin filling the vacant seat by soliciting letters of interest from eligible Silver Spring Township residents in the coming days.