A New Hampshire elementary school parent angry over one of his child’s teacher's clothing choices made a fashion statement of his own at a recent school board meeting, The Concord Monitor reports.
Michael Guglielmo attended a Concord School District board meeting dressed as a Roman soldier claiming “I am Caesar. Julius Caesar of Rome, the emperor,” the report said.
Guglielmo complained that a Christa McAuliffe School art teacher had been wearing “gender-fluid” fashion and had posted inappropriately on social media, the report said. The parent sought the teacher’s dismissal and suspensions of the Concord School District superintendent, the school’s principal, and the school board president, the report said.
“As taxpayers, we deserve to have our children taught what we pay for, and it’s not anyone’s social agenda, whether it be right or left,” Guglielmo said, according to the report.
“It’s about the children. Engaging and facilitating gender confusion, gender dysphoria, is developmentally injurious to the mental and emotional capacity of children.”
The teacher, Silas Allard, filed but has since withdrawn a restraining order against Guglielmo, alleging that he had acted in a manner that was “intimidating” and “homophobic” toward him.
Guglielmo and some of his supporters on Feb. 16 made an unexpected visit to the district’s offices demanding a meeting with Superintendent Kathleen Murphy that prompted employees to use an emergency alert button to summon police, the report said.
Guglielmo’s complaint led to Allard being placed on leave briefly.
“After a thorough investigation, I found the social media complaints against Mr. Allard to be unsubstantiated,” Murphy said in a message to parents obtained by The Monitor.
“Mr. Allard’s attire has at no time been an issue for the district.”
The Concord School Board issued a statement reiterating its commitment to inclusivity.
“The Concord School Board reaffirms our commitment to our district’s families, mission and strategic plan priorities, which includes our vision to improve inclusiveness, uplift the voices of historically marginalized people in the Concord school community, and create an environment that encourages personal exploration and growth,” the statement said.
