Protesters take message to board members’ homes
At least two members of the Spring-Ford Area School Board were the target of protests at their homes last month as tension over opening schools for more in-person instruction reached its peak.
The matter was aired in public at the Jan. 11 meeting at which board member Linda Fazzini issued a lengthy statement revealing that protestors had stood outside her home with bullhorns and spotlights on Dec. 9.
School Board President Colleen Zasowski subsequently confirmed to MediaNews Group that the protesters had visited her Limerick home the same night and used the same tactics.
“I have been astonished by the level of blame and toxicity at school board meetings and I feel I need to speak up,” Fazzini said.
“Over the past six months,” she said, board members and admin
istrators “have become a target at meetings and on social media.”
But that targeting moved to Fazzini’s home where they “yelled and chanted through megaphones” as well as “shone large bright lights into the front windows of my home.”
Fazzini said “it was intimidation and frightening for myself and my family,” adding that the protestors were not all from the district but had been “reading about Spring-Ford on social media.”
She asked people to be “careful about what you post and realize that using social media to air grievances and stir up hatred and anger has wider consequences. A group of people spent the night in front of my house trying to create fear because things posted online, not because they knew anything about the facts of the school district itself.”
Resident Michael Lebiedzinski spoke at the end of the meeting, defended the protestors saying “at no time did any of the protestors step on her property” and noting it only lasted 30 minutes.
He said a video of the protest shows this, as well as the fact that “there were only seven people, not the 15 Mrs. Fazzini exaggerated for effect.”
MediaNews Group contacted Lebiedzinski and asked him to provide a link to the video to which he referred. He agreed, but has, as of Thursday, failed to do so.
“The First Amendment protects the rights of the citizens to assemble peaceably and have their grievances heard and to advocate for equality, education and choice,” Lebiedzinski said, adding, “all SpringFord parents have the right to be told the truth and not lied to.”
Lebiedzinski said “lies of omission are equally alarming,” noting Fazzini failed to mention “her husband charged out onto the lawn. It was so alarming, one of the protestors feared for her life and called 911.”
A report on the incident obtained from the Upper Providence Police about the incident through a Right to Know request does name David Fazzini, but omits any narrative about what happened and does not indicate any arrests were made.
Among those named in the police report from the incident at Fazzini’s house are Jaret Matthew Gale and Christopher Richford, both of whom list Schwenksville addresses that appear to be located in the neighboring Perkiomen Valley School District.
Judging by posts on the Perkiomen Valley School District’s Facebook page, Gale appears to be involved with an activist group called Children Having In-Person Schooling, or CHIPS.
Asking residents if they were “disgusted by the arrogance and pomposity of the board last night and want to join the cause to open the schools,” Gale invited people to join CHIPS.
On the district’s Facebook page, Gale invited people to a Dec. 14 “rally” at the home of Perkiomen Valley School Board President Gene Halus.
“He has consistently voted to harm our children. Let’s stand up for them and show Gene how democracy works,” Gale posted.
Zasowski had noted that it seemed that some of the protesters in front of her house “were not even from Spring-Ford.”
When the protestors arrived in front of her house, she decided against engaging.
“They were using megaphones and shouting ‘coward! Come out here,’” she said.
“My husband walked down and and asked if he could help them. They were chanting ‘open the schools,’ and he told them our schools are open. So they just changed their chant to ‘keep the schools open,’” she said.
Zasowski said she does not argue with the protestors’ right to speak up, but believes “it crosses a line when you go to someone’s house. I would never do that to someone else.”
And while the sound from the protests was not too bad at the other end of Zasowski’s 400-foot driveway, the sound “did wake up the neighbor’s 10-month-old baby,” she said.
Zasowski said protests in front of her home have only made a hard job harder.
“This year hasn’t been easy for anyone,” Zasowski said. “I was a principal in an archdiocese school a while ago and I did this because I care deeply about education. I didn’t do this to be harassed by angry parents at my front door, or harassed on social media.”
“I hope this is a shortlived event and is not something that continues,” Zasowski said.
She added, “I’m a Realtor now and I have to worry about the impact this is going to have on business. I’m a volunteer. Maybe this will evolve into some of these people getting more involved and running for school board themselves.”