The president of the Fairfield Area School Board is facing opposition from parents after controversial videos were recently discovered on YouTube. Many parents want him to resign, saying he is a poor role model for kids and unfit to be president.
Fairfield Area School Board President Charles Rigler has his own YouTube Channel titled "The Rigler Report." His username -- CrackRocKid. It's the content of the content of the videos that has parents outraged. In more than 150 videos posted since 2007, Rigler shares his views on a variety of topics, mainly politics.
In an August 2009 video titled, "Congress' Hollow Apology" Rigler says, "Slavery was a crucial component in creating the agricultural infrastructure which feeds this country today and which feeds a good portion of the world. Is Congress expressing regret for that?"
Rigler says it's been years since the posts and that he's grown a lot since then. But that's not sitting well with parents. "I planned on having my child in this school system for many more years. I will not if this continues," said one parent.
Tensions were high during Monday's school board meeting. "We the undersigned have no confidence in Mr. Charles Bradley Rigler as Fairfield Area School District Board of Education President," another parent said reading a petition.
Rigler says he's "not ashamed of those videos because they were all made to express points." He says the issues addressed in his videos have nothing to do with issues facing the Fairfield School Board.
Rhonda Myers, a parent who ran against Rigler in 2013 but lost, is leading the campaign to have him resign. Rigler says he's offered his resignation but board members convinced him to stay.
Parents say they have enough signatures for him to resign but that the petition was rejected by Rigler himself because only the board president can approve it.
Fairfield Schools Superintendent Bill Chain, who attended Monday night's board meeting, refused to comment to FOX43 on the matter. But with a petition of 550 signatures, parents say they won't stop until Rigler is gone.