Camp Hill, Pa – Former Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale was inspired to campaign on behalf of local school board candidates in the borough of Camp Hill on Saturday afternoon, based on an anonymous letter that had been sent to voters in the district.
The subject of the letter addressed three school board candidates who have expressed support of a politically motivated curriculum for the students of Camp Hill School District. The letter described their “radical agenda,” including support for Critical Race Theory, and transgender athletes.
Of the letter, DePasquale tweeted, “This hateful drivel must be defeated.”
The political beliefs held by school board candidates Karen Mallah, Josceylon Buchs, and Melanie Gurgiolo were the target of the now infamous letter reported this week by PA Capital-Star, Harrisburg100, and ABC27. The stories are top trending on the Keystone Report in Pennsylvania news.
Following the initial report of the letter, the three candidates have backtracked their support of transgender athletes, and Critical Race Theory. When interviewed by ABC27, they said the writer of the letter, “got it all wrong,” according to reporter Hannah Brandt.
Of the letter, incumbant board candidate Melanie Gurgiolo originally told PA Capital-Star, “I find this letter to be a collection of fear-mongering talking points that mischaracterizes both my candidacy and my record.”
However, two of the three candidates, Mallah and Buchs, said they do support a adding diversity to the school district curriculum. They did not give specifics of their proposed curriculum, or how it would differ from the CRT curriculum that has also been called Social & Emotional Learning (SEL). The three candidates have not responded to requests for additional comments.
District parent Marc Scaringi has been documenting the activities of the Camp Hill School Board, and it’s now disbanded Equity Advocacy Council (EAC). He disputed the idea that the school board candidates don’t support CRT, and cited specific radical ideologies formerly expressed by the candidates.
Harrisburg100 