(The Lion) — A Pennsylvania school district’s refusal to release a report about an attack by a 13-year-old transgender student has sparked community backlash.

Citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the district withheld the full report involving last year’s attack on a 12-year-old victim, frustrating those seeking transparency and accountability.

The result has been an uprising of parents now challenging the teachers’ union’s handpicked board of directors in the next general election.

The violent incident at Pennbrook Middle School in April 2024 left one student hospitalized.

Students, parents and community members complained the North Penn School District (NPSD) ignored warning signs from the troubled transgender student.

Authorities had been notified before the incident about an alleged “hit list” of students to attack, yet the district failed to prevent the violence.

The outrage following the assault prompted the district to hire an outside law firm to examine the incident, its response and potential safety improvements after the community complained about irregularities allowing the attack to happen.

Superintendent Todd Bauer and Solicitor Kyle Somers announced the investigation’s completion in October 2024, but they emphasized student privacy laws prevented detailed disclosure.

Bauer outlined general findings at a school board safe schools committee meeting Sept. 30. The investigation included interviews with students, parents, teachers and administrators, as well as reviews of student records and surveillance footage, he said.

Although the report provided a “minute-by-minute breakdown” of the incident, it could not be shared publicly because of FERPA restrictions, Somers said.

This lack of transparency has further fueled public distrust. Many community advocates believe the district concealed critical information about its handling of the incident, in part because the assailant identifies with the LGBTQ community.

Yanni Lambros, a candidate for the North Penn School Board and owner of Koffee Korner Cafe, expressed skepticism about the district’s motives.

The district “dropped the ball” and has withheld the report to avoid exposing its own shortcomings, Lambros told The Lion.

He noted right-to-know requests for investigation details were repeatedly denied, with the district’s solicitor appealing to block access.

“They haven’t released the investigation to the public,” Lambros said, speculating the report contained information the district did not want disclosed.

Lambros is running as part of the conservative-leaning North Penn United team alongside Jeff Eshleman, Michael Jowder and Thomas Moyer in the November general election. He promises to restore transparency and discipline to the district.

The current school board is prioritizing political agendas over student safety and accountability, according to Lambros.

He recounted an altercation with a board member at a polling station, where he claimed she dismissed community concerns as “fake” and accused him of rudeness for citing issues reported by teachers, students and parents.

“They’re trying to make it seem like it’s all a conspiracy,” Lambros said about the alleged coverup over the district’s handling of the transgender student’s attack.

The district’s invocation of FERPA also draws scrutiny as the law includes exceptions for violent incidents, suggesting the district may be misusing privacy regulations to obscure its failures. However, the U.S. Department of Education could waive restrictions in the public interest if requested by the board.

Lambros and his running mates may write to Education Secretary Linda McMahon to request such a waiver, highlighting the district’s pattern of citing FERPA to avoid transparency.

Community frustration also reflected broader concerns about the school board’s conduct.

Lambros accused board members of engaging in questionable practices, including a case where a member made a false racism claim against a uniformed officer.

The board member “made a false claim of racism against a Montgomery Township police officer right on Facebook, getting all this praise, how she’s so brave for calling it out,” Lambros said.

“Well, a week later, they released the body cam footage. Thankfully, the officer was wearing a body cam. Everything she said was a complete lie.”

He also cited right-to-know requests revealing potential conflicts of interest in the district’s bidding processes, with one board member reportedly admitting to pre-selecting a developer before bids were finalized.

Despite these allegations, the district has continued to block access to related emails, further eroding public trust.

“They’re paying their solicitor to keep appealing the right-to-know requests,” Lambros told The Lion.

Parents and students have voiced their discontent at board meetings, demanding clear policies to prevent future incidents and ensure accountability after the district had allegedly transferred this reportedly transgender student with a history of violence into a mainstream school.

The district implemented some recommendations, such as revising cellphone policies and establishing safety committees.

However, critics argued these measures fell short without full disclosure of the investigation’s findings.

As the November school district election approaches, the controversy underscores a broader call for transparency with candidates such as Lambros demanding change.

“There’s a lot of things just wrong,” said Lambros about the school district.