A Norwin School Board member revised his federal lawsuit that claims he was a victim of unlawful retaliation that violated his First Amendment rights.
The suit is related to criticism by the school district and former superintendent of a post on social media.
Alex Detschelt, a school board member from North Huntingdon, contends in the amended lawsuit he refiled in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh that former superintendent Jeffrey Taylor engaged in a form of retaliation against his constitutionally-protected freedom of speech as a private citizen. Detschel claims the retaliation was in the form of an email to district residents, faculty and staff that criticized him for the meme containing a sexually explicit word and a derisive term for a mentally ill person, according to the suit amended on Jan. 10.
Detschelt, a conservative Republican, stated that the meme aimed at then Lt. Gov. John Fetterman was posted on two private Facebook accounts in October 2022 and was not connected to the school district. The meme depicted Fetterman on the cover of a parody Halloween costume bag.
The school board approved a censure statement by a 5-4 vote at the Nov. 7, 2022, meeting. Detschelt’s allies on the board opposed the move to censure him.
Taylor’s actions were in retaliation for Detschelt’s previous criticism of the superintendent’s job performance and the administration, according to the lawsuit. Detschelt’s criticism began before he was elected in November 2021 and continued throughout Taylor’s tenure as superintendent, which ended in June 2024.
As a result of the criticism he received, Detschelt stated in the suit he was the target of threats on social media. He said in the suit he suffers from severe emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassment and humiliation.
The media coverage has harmed his reputation to the extent that it has impacted his ability to fairly present himself in a future election, Detschelt said in the lawsuit. He said he plans to run for reelection this year.
Neither Taylor nor Russell Lucas, Norwin’s solicitor, could be reached for comment.
Detschelt wants a jury trial in the one-count lawsuit that seeks compensatory damages to cover attorney fees and costs, plus punitive damages against Taylor acting in his capacity as superintendent.