A Seneca Valley school official received backlash Thursday for a meme he shared on social media.

Parents and others on social media voiced frustration toward Seneca Valley School Board President Eric DiTullio after he shared a meme depicting actor Matthew McConaughey speaking at a White House podium juxtaposed with a still image showing the “The Simpsons” character Krusty the Clown speaking behind a podium.

The shared post originally was posted by a media page called Being Libertarian, and included “The Simpsons did it again ... ” as a caption.

A screenshot was shared across multiple social media platforms, indicating DiTullio shared the meme on his personal Facebook. He did not add his words to the post.

People commenting on the screenshot images claimed DiTullio’s share of the meme was insensitive to recent events of gun violence. Some called for a public apology and DiTullio’s resignation.

“I’m disappointed that someone representing our school district would make light of a series of horrible incidents,” said parent Emily Drosch of Cranberry Township. “I’m also concerned because if he thinks it’s just a joke, it doesn’t instill confidence that he plans to keep our children safe.”

DiTullio, a Lancaster Township resident, is serving his third term on the board. His term expires in 2025. DiTullio also ran in May’s Republican primary for the state House’s 8th District but lost to Rep. Aaron Bernstine.

In an interview Thursday, DiTullio said people took the meme out of context, and through their comments, people jumped to their own conclusions about what he meant by sharing it.

DiTullio said the meme aligned with his position that celebrities, personalities and others who are not government officials should not be speaking on official matters from the White House press podium.

“There is an actor presenting public policy. There’s a problem with that. Actors shouldn’t be doing that. End of story,” DiTullio said. “I don't understand how people took it any other way.”

In a comment, Shelia Barbosa said she is a parent of two children in the district. She said she supports the Second Amendment, and understands people have a freedom to speak.

However, Barbosa also said she lived in Parkland, Fla., in 2018 when 17 children were killed at a school. She said DiTullio didn’t take into account the reasoning behind the speech, despite being a school official.

Many connected McConaughy’s presentation to last month’s shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which claimed the lives of 19 children and two adults. McConaughy is a native of Uvalde.

“You have every right to voice your opinion on a multitude of topics, and if people don’t agree, it’s too bad for them,” Barbosa said. “However, when you are the school board president, poking fun at a speech that came about as a result of the murder of school children, it is reprehensible.”

Drosch said she also wasn’t sold by DiTullio’s logic, which she said was flawed.

“Your impact is more important than your intent,” Drosch said. “You need to take a look inward and apologize, realize the impact of your actions and move forward.”

Other commenters shared articles and photos showing other celebrities giving similar presentations behind a White House podium. The list includes Kim Kardashian, Olivia Rodrigo and the Korean boy band BTS. Those invitations came during both President Joe Biden’s and former President Donald Trump’s terms.

DiTullio said he wasn’t aware of the previous use of celebrities in presentations when he shared the post, but his stance remains unchanged. He said only White House officials should hold press briefings and presentations. His said his sharing of the meme was not a comment on the shooting.

“The massacre was horrible. No one disagrees with that. No one,” Ditullio said. “But to have actors be our public presenters, that’s just wrong."

DiTullio said he is a father to children in the district, and one of his older children is a teacher. He said he cares deeply about the issue of security, despite what some comments have suggested.

He said school security will continue to be an evolving conversation involving administrations, teachers and security personnel. He added Seneca Valley School District is lucky to have great working relationships with its local police departments.

DiTullio said though he disagreed with McConaughy’s presence at the podium, he agreed with his speech in some areas, especially in regard to the underlying issue of mental health.

He said the stigma of seeking mental health help has prevented both parents and children from seeking it.

“The stigma around mental health needs to be eliminated,” he said.

Drosch said as a parent, she is afraid of the growing number of mass shootings, especially those in schools.

There have been at least 246 mass shootings in the United States through Sunday this year, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks gun violence incidents across the country. Of those, 27 took place at schools.

Drosch said she feels school officials and employees are the best equipped to answer questions of security moving forward. She said she wants to trust them to make the right choice.

“I think that at a local level, we have to make sure we have decision makers who are invested, level-headed and knowledgeable,” she said. “None of those does Eric DiTullio seem to be.”