An elected MAGA Republican school board member of the Souderton Area School District, William Formica, recently wrote on social media that Vice President Harris “blew a lot of dudes” in response to a post questioning what Harris has accomplished politically.
“Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating,” wrote UCLA Basketball coach John Wooden.
Leaders at all levels of public service are role models. This is especially true for locally elected School Board members. They are role models for our children.
The Pennsylvania School Board Association has established a Code of Conduct for all School Boards and Directors. The Code of Conduct speaks to a “devotion to public education,” a “civic obligation,” and a most vital tenant that “Our fellow residents have entrusted us with the advocacy for and stewardship of the education of the youth of this community.”
An elected member of the Souderton Area School District, William Formica, recently posted on social media that Vice President Harris “blew a lot of dudes” in response to a post questioning what Harris has accomplished politically. The post has been taken down by Formica, but can be seen at the Bucks County Beacon News website.
The Souderton Area School District’s long-standing motto and value statement is “A Community Where Character Counts.” SASD Board Policy 001 defining Membership qualifications for a School Board Director requires that “S/He shall be of good moral character…”. The SASD School Board also has established several duties and responsibilities for their School Board members. The FIRST listed is to “Profess a deep desire to serve children and a strong belief in the values of public schools and local control of public education.”
As an elected leader of the Souderton Area School Board, the question now is whether Formica has failed to live up to the Code of Conduct of the Pa School Board Association and the SASD membership requirement that he be of “good moral character.”
Formica’s social media post describing alleged sexual conduct by the Vice President of the United States is abhorrent.
The Souderton Area School District’s children should not be subjected to Formica’s rants as a sitting elected official. His choice of lewd and crude language, albeit as part of an online political discussion, does not excuse this behavior. In fact, because he expressed his views online, in a public forum, this only accentuates the problem because our children can easily access his comments through social media. Clearly, Formica has demonstrated that he does not appreciate that he is a role model for our children and a steward for their education.
READ: Transparency Issues Mar Appointment of William Formica to Souderton Area School Board
On August 2, 2024, SASD Superintendent Frank Gallagher and Board President Ken Keith issued a Statement to the Community in which they recognized Mr. Formica’s comments were “inappropriate” and in “poor judgment.” The SASD Statement states that the “Board has asked for some time to process this situation.” Dr Gallagher and Mr. Keith recognize that “Words matter and Respect matters.” Agreed.What matters now? Will our school board abide by these stated values and take appropriate action with respect to removing Mr. Formica from the Souderton Area School Board? Our Children deserve no less. Our children will be watching. Our children will be learning from us if character really Counts.
