SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — An embattled Parkland School District administrator apparently will resign.
Parkland School Board on Tuesday is scheduled to vote on whether to accept district Director of Performing Arts Frank Anonia’s resignation, effective June 21, according to the meeting’s agenda.
Anonia recently was the subject of an internal investigation, according to an email from Superintendent Mark Madson obtained by LehighValleyNews.com.
School district officials have not given any public comment about the investigation into Anonia and did not immediately respond to a request for comment about his resignation.
Anonia was Parkland High School choral director from 2007 until he was promoted to performing arts director in 2021. Before that, he was the director of choral activities for Whitehall-Coplay School District.
In his position, Anonia was “responsible for the development and implementation of all performing, visual and arts integrated curriculum, programming, and performance/presentations in all K-12 Parkland Schools,” according to a 2021 news release about his appointment.
The board meeting will be at 7 p.m. this Tuesday in the Parkland School District Administration Center.
Investigation into Anonia
The email from Madson, dated April 25, said “allegations involving Mr. Anonia” prompted the investigation, but did not say what those allegations were.
On April 11, 29-year-old William Marshall, who lived with Anonia, was sentenced in Lehigh County to 11½ to 23 months in county prison for possessing child pornography.
Marshall is a 2013 graduate of Parkland High School and a former student of Anonia. He was sentenced last month to Lehigh County Prison and placed on the state’s Megan’s Law registry of sex offenders.
On April 17, Anonia was deposed in a lawsuit that alleges the district knew another teacher was sexually assaulting students but did nothing to stop it.
The lawsuit was brought by five former students against the Parkland School District, Palisades School District and former teacher and soccer coach Christian Willman, said the plaintiffs’ attorney Stewart Ryan.
It is unclear whether those events prompted the investigation.
