This story has been updated with a response from Aidan Levinson
EMMAUS, Pa. — Accusations and controversy are dominating the final days of a hotly contested race for East Penn School Board, in which 11 candidates are seeking five open seats.
Two political action committees have emerged to back two competing slates of candidates, with each raising more than $10,000 from political and financial players outside of the district, relatives and some current board members.
- Two slates of candidates in an 11-person East Penn School Board race have argued over alleged connections to political players in and outside of the district
- The Your Voice on the Board slate has been accused of connections to conservative extremist groups, but deny it
- The opposing slate says it is not involved in mudslinging, but has connections to a PAC that has made the allegations
That also has led to accusations of extremism and mudslinging between the two slates.
One slate is composed of, and largely backed by, Republicans; the other is largely Democrats backed by that party — but also contains two registered Republicans.
The Your Voice on the Board slate is endorsed by the Lehigh County Republican Committee and consists of registered Republicans Paul Barbehenn, Kristofer DePaolo, Lawrence Huyssen, Matt Mull and Angelic Schneider.
It is financially backed by a PAC of the same name, organized in part by the candidates.
MORE: See Candidate Profiles — 11-candidate East Penn School Board race is divided into slates
The other slate is made up of registered Democrats Shonta Ford, Gabrielle Klotz and incumbent Joshua Levinson, and Republicans Timothy Kelly and incumbent Jeffrey Jankowski. It is supported by the Valley Values PAC.
Of those candidates, Levinson, Klotz and Ford were endorsed by the Lehigh County Democratic Committee.
Democrat Brian Wessner is the sole candidate who has not cross-filed and is running independent of a slate.
Alleged connection to right-wing groups
Earlier this year, before the slate opposing the Your Voice group had formed, the leader of the conservative advocacy group Restoring Excellence in East Penn Education, or REEPE, was reported to have spoken of an unpublicized connection to the Your Voice group and his group's beliefs at a chapter meeting for Moms for Liberty, while passing out campaign literature for the group.
Moms for Liberty - Lehigh County is a chapter of a national conservative advocacy group that has advocated for restricting classroom materials and library books, and banning transgender athletes from playing on teams that align with their gender identity.
REEPE is led by Frank Dumbleton, who candidates say is a member of the Lehigh County Republican Committee and a frequent presence at East Penn School Board meetings.
Dumbleton has used talking points about "critical race theory" and discussions regarding gender identity in the district, in addition to concerns about test scores.
Dumbleton has not responded to efforts to reach him at the Lehigh County Republican Committee.
The East Penn Pro Education Facebook page, which posts about happenings in the district, publicized the allegation, connecting REEPE to the Your Voice on the Board slate to its followers.
All five candidates on the Your Voice slate were quick to deny any connection to REEPE, and said they intentionally rejected any support from groups such as Moms for Liberty.
"I don't know what he is selling to his group," Barbehenn said.
They said they only interacted with Dumbleton because of his role as an area leader in the Lehigh County Republican Committee to help political newcomers get petition signatures and his help navigating other parts of the election process, such as forming a PAC and a slate of candidates.
Dumbleton is also a signee on the Your Voice on the Board's PAC registration as the one who submitted the group's documents to the Lehigh County Board of Elections.
"We were told by the [Republican] Party that he is the person we have to deal with," said Barbehenn, who initiated formation of the Your Voice slate.
"But I can tell you, we are not part of the 'Restoring' group, and the Moms for Liberty one is funny, because we've literally had zero contact with that group."
Eventually, they said, the rhetoric was repeated and echoed online and in public, even as those on the slate denied any connection.
"For the record, we are NOT part of either group. We have NOT sought an endorsement or funding from either group. Their agenda is NOT our agenda," states a post on the slate's Facebook page.
In another post focused on the issue of book banning, the Your Voice slate stated that they oppose the widespread banning of books based on content or perspective, but that adults should be able to discuss the age appropriateness of specific books in specific libraries, and that doing so is "prudent" and "responsible."
Additionally, they say parents should always have the final say in the resources that their children are allowed to check out or access from a school library.
Aggressive campaign opposes GOP-backed slate
Yet the opposing slate's supporters have continued to say Your Voice is connected to REEPE and Moms for Liberty.
A group called Defend East Penn has declared its support for the slate formed in opposition to Your Voice on the Board. Members of that group say the slate opposing the Your Voice candidates including incumbents Levinson and Jankowski are "defenders" who are "committed to stopping extremism" from these groups.
Defend East Penn and its parent organization, Valley Values PAC, describes itself as "a community-driven organization, operating out of concern for extremist politics sweeping school board elections across our state and nation."
Candidates from the second slate have denied any direct connection to Defend East Penn, its campaign efforts and content.
Defend East Penn says its intent is to "refrain from partisan warfare and ideological vendettas," but on its website it has tied Your Voice candidates to the extremism of Moms for Liberty and REEPE because of Dumbleton's support of these candidates at the Moms for Liberty meeting.
"The other candidates are clearly hiding behind this Defend site and, despite having said they have nothing to do with it, none of them are disavowing it or saying it should be taken down," Barbehenn said.
He and other candidates on his slate said they believe that Aidan Levinson, incumbent Joshua Levinson's son, is a major player in the Defend East Penn site, which contains detailed biographies of each supported candidate.
"The sitting board president’s son is raising money for the PAC responsible for this destructive nonsense and, as I’ve said before, it defies logic and common sense to think the other slate of candidates have nothing to do with this," Barbehenn said.
"And it is brazenly dishonest to claim you are being non-partisan and transparent in the process."
Joshua Levinson said he has no role in the direction, strategy or operation of the Valley Values PAC, and that further comment on his son's efforts in the campaign would have to come from Aidan Levinson.
Levinson acknowledged his son has given time and knowledge to help with advising/managing the operation of each of the slate members' campaigns.
"It's a separate group, and not something that's directed by us," Levinson said. "But that's certainly something that we appreciate. Because it's concerned citizens that want to share the same outlook that we do."
Your Voice candidate Lawrence Huyssen, pointing to a Facebook post appearing to copy an email sent by Aidan Levinson, echoed other candidates on the slate in saying that it was dishonest to deny connection to the harsh rhetoric of the Defend East Penn group.
"I just find it kind of odd that if it's the son of the current sitting board member that they have all of their bios and all that, that they're in no way working together," Huyssen said.
"Especially since that's where, you know, this whole narrative is coming from, when we're saying that we're not."
Aidan Levinson, who is an adviser to the Lehigh County Democratic Committee and often works as a political consultant for Democratic candidates, says the email posted on Facebook is due to his role as a committeeperson for the Lehigh County Democratic Committee in the East Penn area and his responsibility to educate the public on happenings regarding elections in the area. He says he supports efforts in the area that share concerns regarding certain candidates running for the school board.
“Nationwide extremist movements have made their foray into this year’s East Penn School Board election and I do not agree with the movement’s goal of obstructing public education initiatives and suppressing welcoming environments,” Aidan Levinson said.
“These actions are not contradictory to any statement my father and his fellow slate members have made.”
Levinson reiterated that he provides strategic advice to the campaigns of his father and fellow slate members.
“These attacks are merely a distraction from certain candidates’ faults and are attempts to grovel for support,” Levinson said. “It should not be a mystery as to why I support my father in these efforts.”
He says he is deeply disappointed in attacks that have been levied at him for supporting those candidates.
"I do have concerns about the troubling things that I have heard about the opposing slate with respect to extremism," Joshua Levinson said.
"It is readily known that the opposing slate has interacted with, has the direct and vocal support of, and utilizes the assistance of such groups [as REEPE and Moms for Liberty and] individuals who espouse extremist ideologies."
Huyssen said, "If you're ever a Republican candidate for local office, you have to go through the team captain of the area — and that just happens to also be who is in charge of REEPE."
Defend East Penn also has attacked candidate Angelic Schneider over alleged leadership in Metro Beauty Academy while it had to make a $425,000 settlement withfederal authorities over falsely seeking federal aid for ineligible students.
"We're a multimillion dollar school," Schneider said. "We're governed by the Department of Education. We take millions of dollars a year in financial aid for our students — so we were fined on the technicality.
"We've been in business and we're a thriving school."
"I do have concerns about the troubling things that I have heard about the opposing slate with respect to extremism"Joshua Levinson
Schneider said she has never had legal ownership over the company, which she says was established in 2007 by Chief Executive Officer Gary Menzies and her husband Chad Schneider.
She said she never had a title at the company and has active lawsuits pending for defamation of character related to the accusation. However, an archived campaign biography published by the Your Voice group on their site states that she had "owned and operated a cosmetology and esthetics trade school for the last 16 years."
Chad Schneider, who said he is the current sole owner, said Angelic Schneider's duties with the company are primarily related to cleaning and ordering for the school's clothing boutique.
Part of a national debate
Nationally, school boards have become a battlegroundfor large cultural political issues, such as how to teach issues of race relations or gender identity, or restricting reading material.
Public comment against policies recognizing transgender students have found their way into district board meetings at East Penn, as others spoke of the importance of inclusivity policies.
"Our focus has always been for the safety of the students and for their education," Huyssen said of the accusations. "We're not going to come in trying to do a lot of the extreme things that everyone's afraid of, that Moms For Liberty and all those other groups like claim that they want to do."
Asked about changes to school policies related to transgender students, Huyssen said all students should be given the same opportunities in the district, that the group's focus is on student safety and education, and that what Moms for Liberty and similar groups want to do are limited within the law.
"They're all illegal," Hyussen said. "You can't discriminate based on who people are, what their race is and all that sort of thing. Our core focus and value is making sure every student gets the right education that they should get.
"So that should be the number one shutdown to anyone who thinks that we'd ever do something like that: You can't, and you shouldn't."
Under the Biden administration's U.S. Education Department, interpretation of federal sex protections have been expanded to include transgender and gay students, reversing Trump-era policy.
In addition, a new proposed rule change for Title IX would prevent a one-size-fits-all policy that categorically bans transgender students from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity.
"Bathroom bans, locker room bans, sports bans, book bans, all of these things are not only are they harmful, but they are under current interpretations illegal," said Corinne Goodwin, the executive director of the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project.
"I think that school boards need to listen to their solicitors, because they're actively putting their taxpayers at risk by implementing these policies."
Still, Goodwin and others pointed to policies and instances being pushed at school boards that continue to create stigma for transgender students.
"I'm happy with this [Valley Voices] PAC," candidate Timothy Kelly said about the Defend East Penn site. "These are people that are concerned about the community. They're also concerned about some of the national pushes, too, that are anti-education."
Kelly said after a candidate forum that he left with a great attitude, feeling that it was a "good group of 11 people" who care about their community running for office, but that he has seen many of the concerns of the Defend group brought to life in other districts.
Pennridge School District in Bucks County, where Kelly teaches, has embraced policies prohibiting staff from engaging in "advocacy activities" on school grounds, including displaying anything "advocating" to students about “religion, sexual orientation and gender identity, social, political and geo-political matters” when not “applicable to the curriculum.”
A policy adopted in 2021 at the district limited access to books and educational resources related to gender identity, and removed its district-wide diversity, equity and inclusivity initiatives.
Gabrielle Klotz, another candidate on the incumbent-led slate, said concern that could happen in East Penn is part of what prompted her to run.
"I think that there is a vocal part of the community that is against [transgender] individuals," Klotz said. "I find that distressing, so I would like to work to make sure that our children know that they are accepted."
'Not in favor of mudslinging'
Asked about the concerns, Barbehenn said, "It is my belief that all students should feel welcome and safe within the East Penn School District and would envision future adjustments to the policy to be driven by our ability to accomplish that goal, legal and/or regulatory changes, and/or issues involving student safety.
"Given my business and nonprofit experience, I have seen DEI programs that are simply built around optics and perception, that really amount to nothing more than marketing.
"My primary goal would be doing the hard work to ensure that our plan is more than just a marketing initiative and would work with those living and executing it daily to determine what, if any, adjustments are required."
During an interview on radio station WAEB's "Bobby Gunther Walsh" show, Barbehenn and Schneider were asked point-blank about "CRT" (critical race theory, another hot-button cultural wedge issue for conservative candidates) in schools.
Schneider said it is not seen in her curriculum as a Parkland teacher and she does not see it as something that would be put into the curriculum, and would have to evaluate curriculum proposals as they fit into the standards of the state and on their individual merit.
Barbehenn said that he generally does not favor curriculum that could be seen as “divisive on [the] race front, on [the] gender front, on any front along those lines.”
Jankowski said he has not paid much attention to the other slate and the accusations involved in the race, and that he does not want a part in any mudslinging.
He said, regarding the Defend East Penn site, that "I would prefer that that'd not happened. I don't run the group. Again, I will take support from any group, but I am not in favor of mudslinging."
Campaign funding connections
Your Voice on the Board raised $22,850, according to recent campaign finance reports.
The Your Voice PAC has received $5,000 from venture capitalist Paul Martino of Doylestown, whose recent pledges to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars into Pennsylvania school board races have been centered on cultural wedge issues and right-wing rhetoric, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Martino also backs an anti-school lockdown PAC that states on its website that it “is taking the fight directly to the liberal teachers’ unions and special interest groups that are responsible for indoctrinating our children,” and that it "supports conservative candidates by raising the resources needed to counter the onslaught of advertising from deep-pocketed liberal teachers unions determined to let the radical left take charge of our children’s education."
Other donors include state Rep. Milou Mackenzie, and regional business executives David and Catherine Jaindl (Jaindl Land Co.), Anthony Salvaggio (Computer Aid Inc.), Daniel and Oriana Hood (I'll Be There Inc.) and Andrew and Ann Wright (Vinart dealerships).
Unions, PACs supporting Democratic candidates, current board members William Whitney, Paul Champagne and Allan Byrd and candidate relatives are supporting the PAC leading the Defend East Penn site, which spotlights accusations of extremism toward the Your Voice slate.
One candidate stands separate
Democrat Brian Wessner, the sole candidate not running attached to a slate, is the only candidate not cross-filed under both parties.
He said he has no comment about the two campaign camps, and that he got into the race for his own reasons and hopes other people are not going into the race with very specific agendas.
"I was told because I wasn't one of the two camps that maybe I should consider not running this time," Wessner said.
"I totally get it. But after seeing the banter back and forth, I'm not sure. You know, on this level, we're our school board, we should be working for one common good."
