42°
Laura Warmkessel was just one of those parents.
"You guys sit up here the majority of the time patting yourselves on the back and congratulating each other on how wonderful this school district is, but under the radar letting these monsters into our system, repeatedly," Warmkessel told the Parkland School District Board of Directors on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Click here to watch the meeting.
As previously reported by Daily Voice, Francis "Frank" Anonia, 43, of Allentown, the former performing arts director, was accused by Allentown police of using his cell phone to secretly record a student changing clothes while he was in the Parkland High School auditorium.
Anonia's fiancé, William Marshall, 29, pleaded guilty to Child Pornography charges and was sentenced to 11 to 23 months in Lehigh County Prison on Thursday, April 11, according to court documents. Marshall is a former Parkland High School student.
Another Parkland High School teacher, Christian Willman, had been charged in 2019 for sexually assaulting students and pleaded guilty to abusing six girls in January 2020, court records show. He was sentenced to six to 12 years in state prison.
Allowing Anonia, Marshall, and Willman into the school district "is unacceptable, irresponsible behavior that needs to stop immediately," Warmkessel told the board.
Earlier in the board meeting, Mark Madson, Parkland's superintendent, addressed the charges against Anonia, reinforcing a statement he made in an email to parents on Monday, Oct. 14.
Madson said the school board had initiated its own investigation into Anonia based on allegations against him, placed him on administrative leave, and accepted his resignation on Tuesday, June 18.
Lauren Vargas, a parent with three children who are all involved in the school district's performing arts programs, felt that the district's efforts weren't enough.
"We feel the like of communications between the school and parents — specifically parents with children who were involved in that production — was careless and looked only to preserve the interests of the school district and not the safety of our students," Vargas said to the school board.
Vargas said that Madson had "allowed sexual abuse and obfuscation to exist in the community" and called for his resignation.
Parkland School Board members Robert Cohen and Christopher Pirrotta defended Madson.
"It's my perspective as a school board director that the work our administration has done has fulfilled and exceeded their responsibilities," Cohen said.
Personnel and legal items are sensitive and confidential matters which require careful handling in how they're communicated to the public, Cohen explained.
Pirrotta applauded Cohen's statement.
"When you don't have all the facts it's very easy to come up with a story," Pirrotta said. "Fiction is easy. Truth is hard. I have extreme confidence in this administration."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Boyertown-Gilbertsville and receive free news updates.
