A Pennsylvania school board has voted 8-1 against allowing one of their colleagues, Gregory D’Elia, to become the president of the board because he is a “cis, white male” – despite admitting that D’Elia “would make an excellent president.”
“I believe that Mr. D’Elia would make an excellent president,” Upper Moreland School Board member Jennifer Solot said during the vote in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.
“However, I feel that electing the only cis, white male president of this district sends the wrong message to our community — a message that is contrary to what we as a board have been trying to accomplish.”
“I think it’s important that we practice what we preach and that our words have strength when they are spoken, whether we speak them from the neighborhood sidewalks or from behind these tables,” she added.
🚨 @UpperMorelandSD Board member, Jennifer Solot, says she is against electing the only, “cis white male on this board,” as president of the district because it, “sends the wrong message to our community.”
Wow. Saying the quiet part out loud. pic.twitter.com/stEMoeUExS
— Meg Brock (@MegEBrock) December 10, 2022
Solot then announced her support for school board member April Stainback, who ended up being elected in an 8-1 vote. Stainback and D’Elia were the only two of the nine board members nominated for board president.
Some of the other board members seemed hesitant about their vote, with school board member Sarah Byrnes pausing and saying, “This is very hard to do as the new person on the board.” Byrnes then said she would vote for Stainback. Rose Huber also took a long pause but eventually voted for Stainback. In the 8-1 vote, D’Elia was the only one to vote for himself.
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