(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The public meeting by the Beaver Area School Board was a tensely politicized one, filled with those in support of Steve Wellendorf, the principal put on administrative leave by the school at the start of the school year, and those in support of the decision to oust Wellendorf by Superintendent Carrie Rowe.

Before the meeting, many came out in the rain to gather in support of Wellendorf, including one attendant who emphasized faith:

 

Rally organizer Luke Berardelli, a former Beaver grad, made his point clear at the flagpole before the meeting:

 

The meeting started, but it was only after 40 minutes of financial and administrative business that the subject of Wellendorf’s absence was brought up. Superintendent Rowe acknowledged her stance as a gay woman, but vehemently denied that Wellendorf’s firing was discriminatory against Christians. She then drove home the point that hate will not be allowed in Beaver under her jurisdiction:

 

As he had planned to, Berardelli spoke to the board peacefully, but sternly, advocating that Rowe’s demand for co-existing could be possible with the reinstatement of Steve Wellendorf.

 

Others speaking were not as soft in their remarks, and the crowd inside the auditorium had several moments of restlessness. It was enough for one Beaver student to question the respect and integrity of the crowd:

 

As far as the reasoning behind Wellendorf’s absence, the school board remained closed about the specifics.

Pictures from the meeting are below.