HELLERTOWN, Pa. — When John Conte of the Saucon Valley School Board asked fellow officials to consider a day of recognition for assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, he said he didn't make the suggestion with any one political view at the forefront.
“My recommendation to honor Charlie Kirk was not to promote his political philosophy to the Saucon Valley community, but to recognize him for support of free speech, civil discourse and nonviolence in a democratic society,” Conte said.
“Although there are many in this community who do not support the political views of Mr. Kirk, I hope that those same people support his right to express his views in a peaceful, civil manner, so that the content of those views may be judged on their own merits.”
“My recommendation to honor Charlie Kirk was not to promote his political philosophy to the Saucon Valley community, but to recognize him for support of free speech, civil discourse and nonviolence in a democratic society."Saucon Valley School Board member John Conte
The conservative pundit Kirk, co-founder of the student organization Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck and killed Sept. 10 as he answered questions in front of a few thousand spectators at a rally at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
On Sept. 22, hundreds gathered at Water Street Park in Hellertown for a candlelight vigil honoring Kirk.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump awarded Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom. It also marked what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday and what’s now a national day of remembrance following recent congressional approval.
'A very fragile consensus'
Following Conte’s suggestion to the board on Sept. 23, he joined fellow board members Cedric Dettmar and Bill Broun in an “informal ad hoc bipartisan working group” alongside a "diverse set of community members."
Broun said the district’s Academic and Personnel Committee recently met about the creation of the working group and “to discuss the possibility of some kind of recognition connected to Charlie Kirk’s public assassination.”
Among a number of different ideas, officials considered implementing a Free Speech Day or an “omnibus kind of recognition that looked at all the recent victims of political violence,” such as with a school district Facebook post — but even the last one was only met with “a very fragile consensus,” Broun said.
“Soon after we met and arrived at a consensus about a [SVSD] Facebook post mentioning Charlie Kirk, half the committee for various reasons — which I really respect, and I understand where they're coming from — half the working group felt that they could no longer participate in the working group, and with that, to my mind at least, that was the end of the working group,” he said.
“I know that there was a desire to keep whatever happened small,” Broun said. “It would not involve any kind of intrusion on curriculum.
“But given the history of especially the litigation in the district and also what I would argue is a suppression of people having a chance to say what they feel and think in the community, I thought it was very important to at least talk about it — and we did.”
"I thought it was very important to at least talk about it — and we did.”Saucon Valley School Board member Bill Broun
Board Treasurer Donald Carpenter thanked residents from all sides of the topic at hand for their emails in to the board. He said he received upward of 40 messages.
Carpenter clarified that at the Sept. 23 meeting, two board members spoke in favor of adding the day of remembrance, but those were ultimately just suggestions and not part of any particular district business listed on the agenda.
And either the school district administration or at least three board members would have had to support the day of remembrance for the matter to have been placed on a subsequent agenda, he said.
"The technicality about not being on the agenda is important because it showed that there wasn't support from the board for the motion," Carpenter said.
“ ... Because of the Sunshine Law, it wasn’t really possible to debate all those suggestions; we can’t debate each other’s suggestions or comments [if they’re not listed on the agenda].
“And so it kind of just stood as it was, creating the impression that there was a lot more deliberation going on than really occurred.”
Broader community perspective
Broun said board members have been offered many letters of support in at least considering the new day of remembrance.
“I feel like I know my community better; I know some of the perspectives in the conservative parts of our community better,” Broun said.
“And even with like my fellow board member John [Conte], I feel a new sense of warmth and understanding about his perspective. I don’t necessarily agree with that perspective; it’s not my perspective … but I see where he’s coming from.”
“I feel like I know my community better; I know some of the perspectives in the conservative parts of our community better."Saucon Valley School Board member Bill Broun
Board member Jay Santos said he loved to see the community engagement.
“I find it very important for that sort of feedback, positive or negative, against or for any topic,” Santos said. “Doesn't really matter to me.”
“Political violence is something that can seem far away to all of us. ... But if you look back in the past, when societies get very polarized, political violence can reach right down into communities.”Saucon Valley School Board President Cedric Dettmar
School Board President Cedric Dettmar said, “Political violence is something that can seem far away to all of us: ‘Oh, it's something that happens to people in Washington or people like Charlie Kirk.’
“But if you look back in the past, when societies get very polarized, political violence can reach right down into communities.”
'Heartbreaking'
Hellertown resident Madeline Reed said she sent the board the original message asking for Oct. 14 to be added as a districtwide day of remembrance for Charlie Kirk.
She said this is the last year her family will be attending Saucon Valley schools.
"We did not go the public school route because what we wanted was for our children to be sheltered — we want them challenged and exposed to every side of an argument and not just a teacher’s personal belief."Hellertown resident and Saucon Valley School District mother Madeline Reed
“It’s really heartbreaking for me and it’s hard, but we have loved our time and experience at Saucon as we’ve only been in the elementary school,” Reed said.
“But we did not go the public school route because what we wanted was for our children to be sheltered — we want them challenged and exposed to every side of an argument and not just a teacher’s personal belief.
“We want an education and a well-rounded education, and through all of this, we now know that Saucon Valley will not offer that.”
The Easton Area School Board was recently called upon to fire its nurse supervisor, Kelly Keegan, who's also a Northampton County Council member, after a Facebook post of hers, one calling Kirk "a monster," drew public criticism.
