A Pa. school board member has resigned after actor Maulik Panacholy is allowed to speak at anti-bullying assembly

A Cumberland Valley school board member has resigned after the district voted to allow gay actor Maulik Pancholy to speak at an anti-bullying assembly, reversing an earlier decision to cancel the event that sparked public backlash.

Brian Drapp, a member of the south central Pennsylvania school board since 2017, resigned Monday in a letter to his peers.

“Enough is enough,” Drapp told PennLive.

In his letter, Drapp said his frustrations bubbled when the school board narrowly voted two weeks ago to reverse a decision it had made at an earlier meeting to cancel Pancholy’s middle school assembly, citing the actor’s “lifestyle” and “activism.”

“If you research this individual, he labels himself as an activist,” longtime board member Bud Shaffner said at the April 15 meeting where the board voted to cancel Pancholy’s appearance. “He is proud of his lifestyle, and I don’t think that should be imposed upon our students, at any age.”

Pancholy is an award-winning actor who has appeared on TV, films, and Broadway. Some of his best-known roles include Jonathan on 30 Rock, Sanjay on Weeds, and the voice of Baljeet on the popular Disney animated series, Phineas and Ferb. He’s penned two children’s books centered around gay Indian American boys grappling with bullying and self-discovery while growing up in small Midwest towns.

He served on then-President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and cofounded a campaign to combat AAPI bullying. On his website, Pancholy describes this role — along with his involvement in several similar AAPI awareness, Pride, and anti-bullying campaigns — as “activism.”

He has spoken at schools about bullying and diversity, according to his website.

Drapp said during the April 15 meeting that he worried Pancholy’s appearance would go against the district’s informal policy about not hosting overtly political events. The rule was adopted after a rally for Donald Trump at the high school faced backlash in 2016.

But the decision to cancel Pancholy’s assembly — scheduled to take place on May 22 at Mountain View Middle School — radiated through national media and angered many district parents and students, and the board was accused of homophobia and censorship.

A petition calling to reverse the decision garnered nearly 10,000 signatures and Pancholy expressed his disappointment on social media.

» READ MORE: Actor Maulik Pancholy speaks out for first time after Pennsylvania school district cancels his anti-bullying assembly

Following public pressure, the school board scheduled a special meeting on April 24 to discuss the cancellation. The hour-long meeting featured lots of criticism from community members. Some students and alumni who identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community said hearing from figures like Pancholy would have made them feel more accepted on campus.

In a 5-4 vote, the school board reversed its decision. For Drapp, it marked a breaking point.

“I voted twice against a political activist speaking to our middle school students,” Drapp wrote in his resignation letter. “I am very uncomfortable with assembling 12-, 13- and 14-year-old students to listen to someone who supports violent protests and the organization he co-founded overtly advocating ‘in order to change the structure of our current education, legal and policing system, many find it necessary to upend the current system by any means necessary.’”

Drapp appeared to be referring to Pancholy’s nonprofit, Act to Change. The organization’s website features a toolkit called “Racism is a Virus,” which contains tips for protesting safely. It is not written by Pancholy and does not mention violence as Drapp suggested.

Drapp later told PennLive he believes the reversal is a symptom of deeper issues within the school board.

“I believe you have a board president that’s basically just rubber-stamping anything the superintendent wants, and not consulting with the board,” he told the news outlet.

Drapp also wrote in his resignation letter that he was disgusted by the special meeting, where the board was met by a lively mix of boos, jeers, and cheers. He called the audience disruptive.

“By allowing adults, students and teachers to disrupt, disrespect and silence any differing points of views, and overtly ignoring rules and common decency norms, our silence and non-responsiveness have signaled to our students this type of behavior and actions are acceptable,” he wrote.

According to the district, the board is working to fill Drapp’s seat.

Meanwhile, Pancholy has expressed his excitement to speak at Mountain View Middle School in the coming weeks.

“My heart is with you as your community continues to come together. Please know that your actions have been an inspiration to myself and to so many who have been watching,” Pancholy said in a video posted to his Instagram. “I cannot wait to meet all of you in person.”