Slippery Rock School Board president urged to resign
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — Several members of the Slippery Rock Area School Board called on board president Heather Scott to resign at the meeting Monday, Nov. 11.
Scott sparked controversy following the presidential election, posting messages on social media where she criticized President-elect Donald Trump, as well as those who voted for him, due to his anti-abortion stances.
“For any of my friends on here who voted for him — kindly remove yourself today. It is not a political disagreement, it is a moral and ethical divide that can’t be overcome,” Scott posted on her personal Facebook page, referring to Trump voters as “selfish (expletives).”
In another post, she said while school board members do not agree on certain things, she doesn’t believe politics have become an issue in any decision the board has made, and those “three words describing what I think about those who voted for Trump” will never show up in discussion or school board decisions.
Community members expressed anger over Scott’s comments, viewing them as disrespectful to those in the community who voted for Trump. Slippery Rock borough gave 53% of its vote to Trump, while Slippery Rock Township gave 62.5% of its vote to Trump.
Scott made a statement expressing her regret and embarrassment for making the post. While apologizing to anybody she offended, she said she “stands by her feelings,” as she did not incite any violence or use any slurs.
“Actions speak louder than words, and I am certain that my actions have never shown bias towards anyone with different than me,” Scott said.
In front of about 75 people Monday night, three board members, Vito Pilosi, Greg Schiller and Carl Aglio, criticized Scott’s remarks as disrespectful to the community, “denigrating people for exercising their right to vote for the candidate of their choosing.”
And while all three noted her ability to be apolitical in decision making for the school district, they, nonetheless, believe she should resign.
“Elected officials must understand their statements will be held to a higher standard and level of scrutiny. The post in question is offensive on multiple levels,” Schiller said.
The board members’ statements were focused on Scott’s ability to represent her constituents.
“Outside of the boardroom, Heather Scott and I are of opposite sides of the political spectrum. We both have our views and opinions that at times we agree to disagree. Whether our views align or not, we both have mutual respect for each other,” Pilosi said. “But my professional respect of Mrs. Scott has diminished after her words and actions from last week. Whether the information was on a personal social media page or not, does not matter.”
Aside from voicing disapproval of Scott’s comments, the session for public comment was politically charged, with crowd members on both sides of the dispute chiming in.
Parents and community members gave Bible readings, made numerous false remarks about the concept of separation of church and state not being in the Constitution, and made dueling remarks over whether Scott should resign. Arguments centered on the First Amendment, and the fact that Scott made the post on a private, personal account and not a public, official government account.
Scott said she will take time to decide whether or not to step down.
Scott’s husband, John, made comments on how he finds it “amusing” people are angry about inflammatory language when “there’s an elected official with a higher responsibility and a larger following” than his wife who does the same. He also lauded his wife’s work with the school board, saying that she has helped the school open earlier than others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also expressed that despite being in Slippery Rock since the 1970s, this is the first time he has worried for himself and his family’s safety, and felt uncomfortable living in his own home.
Scott’s messages were spread widely on social media outlets like X and Facebook. In one instance, screenshots were posted by the account Libs of TikTok, which has gained notoriety for making national headlines for targeting Democrats and LGBTQ+ people through hate speech and bullying, as well as harassment of teachers.
Catherine Lalonde, chairwoman of the Butler County Democratic Committee, sent out an email to Butler County Democrats Monday morning supporting Scott, claiming that she has been harassed and targeted by Slippery Rock Mayor Jondavid Longo for previously donating to an abortion clinic, and that Longo is actively trying to get Scott removed from the school board. Longo attended the meeting Monday.
This story was updated at 1 p.m. on Nov. 12 to reflect a quote attributed to Vito Pilosi. A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed the quote to Matt Pyle. The story was also updated to reflect that Carl Aglio is on the school board. A previous version incorrectly stated that Matt Pyle was on the board.
