Tensions reached a boiling point during Palmerton Area School District’s board meeting Tuesday night as taxpayers, board members, and district administration discussed a Title IX investigation.

The investigation last fall centered on allegations of sexual harassment and professional misconduct involving director Earl Paules and Superintendent Dr. Angela Friebolin.

A 15-page report issued to the district in early December from attorney Katherine H. Meehan of the law firm Raffaele Puppio, found Paules responsible for 16 of 19 allegations, partly responsible for two and not responsible for one, related to conduct that occurred between December 2024 and July 2025.

According to the determination, Friebolin first raised concerns about Paules’ conduct during an executive session of the school board on July 15, 2025. Paules was present for that meeting. The following day, Kalani Linnell Asroff, deputy Title IX coordinator, was appointed to oversee the process.

According to the findings, Paules frequently commented on Friebolin’s appearance, clothing and body. On one occasion, the report states, in March 2025, Paules stood uncomfortably close to Friebolin in her office and told her she had violated policy because she was “way too good-looking to be a superintendent.”

The investigation cataloged numerous text messages sent by Paules that were deemed unprofessional.

In May 2025, he texted Friebolin, “You’re my girl,” and in July wrote, “never fall in love with your superintendent, but the hair extensions almost got me.”

Paules said Tuesday the “never fall in love with your superintendent” line was in reference to the relationship between board members and a previous Palmerton superintendent.

“They would meet with him out at the Covered Bridge Inn, and I live in Little Gap,” Paules said.

“It went from that to him giving Paula Husar zeroes on her evaluation. At that time, I said I would never fall in love with my superintendent and I would hold them accountable if they did things wrong. Obviously I did that and obviously you can see the end result. I’ll never back down from the superintendent. They work for us.”

The Raffaele Puppio report details that Paules frequently asked Friebolin what she was “hiding” under her suit jacket and “made hand gestures mimicking the curvy shape of a woman’s body while alone with her.”

Superintendent speaks out

According to the determination, Friebolin altered her workplace behavior as a result of the comments.

Friebolin spoke Tuesday in response to community members who questioned her character and past professional record. She addressed rumors regarding her previous employment in Whitehall-Coplay School District and a supposed Title IX filing there, calling the claims “categorically false.”

“I have had an impeccable career, and I love kids, and I love working here. I was treated poorly. I was harassed,” Friebolin told the crowd inside Palmerton’s high school auditorium.

Friebolin shared specific examples of the conduct she alleged occurred.

“How would you like it if your daughter or your wife or your sister received a phone call at home when someone says to you, ‘I listen to everything you say to see if you’re leaving your husband’?” she said.

She continued by quoting further comments allegedly directed at her: “‘Whatever woman I’m with will never have to work another day in her life. What are you hiding under that jacket?’”

Friebolin emphasized that she had never filed a Title IX report in 25 years of service prior to this instance.

“If I hadn’t been treated in such a bizarre and inappropriate way, I would never have made the complaint to the board,” she said.

“I have dealt with hard things for 25 years, but never have I been abused,” Friebolin said. “I think if you as a district want a revolving door in the superintendency then this is how you do it.”

Denies accusation

Paules has steadfastly denied the sexual harassment claim and outlined his next steps Tuesday night.

“I will be filing a lawsuit against the Palmerton Area School District and I will be personally suing Angela Friebolin,” he said.

“I hope her ego isn’t bigger than her bank account, because mine is unlimited. I fight every single day to get what I have. I am here 60 years. I am a true Blue Bomber. I will always stick up for our taxpayers.”

He continued, “We’ll see what happens over her next two years, but I will be in a federal courtroom.”

Paules was found not responsible for one claim: that he created a hostile work environment after Friebolin allegedly rejected romantic or sexual advances.

The report states there was no clear point at which Friebolin expressly declined Paules’ behavior in a way that resulted in a change in his conduct. Instead, the determination concluded that tensions escalated during disagreements over district operations.

Public comment

The board moved the meeting from the high school library to the auditorium in anticipation of residents attending.

More than 50 staff and visitors were in attendance.

Speaking during public comment Tuesday, Palmerton resident Richard Banko questioned the evidence used in the 15-page report, saying much of it was “second hand” or lacked first-hand observation.

“This was purely one person’s word over another,” Banko said.

“No one is safe,” Banko said. “Someone can make accusations against anyone and without any proof or validated witness testimony could be found responsible.”

The Raffaele Puppio determination was made based off a larger report from Grand River Solutions, who interviewed four witnesses in addition to Paules and Friebolin regarding the claims. The witnesses included district employees who worked closely with both individuals.

“Witness 1” said Paules made comments describing Friebolin as an “attractive woman” and referenced her appearance, though she did not characterize the comments as overtly sexual.

Other witnesses, according to the Grand Rivers report, said they did not directly hear some of the alleged comments but were informed about them by Friebolin or others.

Ken Sutton, a Palmerton resident speaking during public comment, questioned why the district’s Title IX coordinator, Dr. Dan Heaney, didn’t follow through if allegations were presented to him prior to July.

“It should not have gone out of house until it was determined he couldn’t do any more,” Sutton said.

Petition filed

Several residents Tuesday expressed frustration over both the alleged conduct and the $45,000 cost of the investigation.

Danielle Jones said intervention has already been sought from the Carbon County Court of Common Pleas in the form of a petition for Paules’ removal from the board.

A petition with 31 signatures was filed Jan. 2 in the Carbon County Court of Common Pleas requesting Paules’ removal from the school board. The minimum signatures required is 10.

No action has been taken by the court as of Wednesday morning.

“You are a liability to this community, to this school and to the taxpayer,” she told Paules. “I’m asking you to resign because of your words, because of my wasted money.”

Jones said funds spent on legal fees and investigations should have been used for classroom supplies or teacher support.

“We teach our children to take accountability for their actions,” she said. “If you really cared about this school district, you would resign.”

Paules countered the claim about wasted money.

“I saved Palmerton School District $1.7 million,” he said, listing several projects and cost-saving measures he attributed to his involvement.

Heather Pasquariello echoed Jones’ sentiments.

“You say you pride yourself in holding people accountable,” she told Paules, “you need to be held accountable for your actions. I don’t know any employer that would not hold you accountable.”

Board conflict

The meeting also highlighted deep fractures within the board itself. Beyond the Title IX findings, directors MaryJo King and Erin Snyder accused board leadership of failing to communicate or follow standard protocols.

“I addressed my concerns via text to board leadership on Dec. 27 and have yet to receive a reply or even an acknowledgment of receipt of my text,” King said.

King also alleged that the board president delayed responding to community emails and failed to forward legal inquiries to the district’s solicitor in a timely manner.

“Your silence speaks volumes to me,” King said.

Snyder offered “unwavering support” to Friebolin and any other woman subjected to “disgusting and vile behavior.”

“I am deeply disappointed in our leadership, more accurately the lack of it,” Snyder said.

The report

Palmerton social media groups were active leading up to Tuesday’s meeting. Posts within the last week indicated Paules would be at the Convenient Food Mart on Jan. 4 with copies of the investigative materials.

David Conn, the attorney representing the school board at Tuesday’s meeting, said the Title IX process itself became “very, very formal due to regulations passed by the federal government in 2020.”

“I have heard a number of comments from board members on both sides,” Conn said. “At some point if the board wants to have an executive session around that, we can do that. There are legal considerations around some of this for sure.”

Conn said the 2020 regulations allowed for “occasions and certain circumstances where some of the investigative material can be made public by one or both of the primary participants.”

“But that does not relieve us as the agency, the employer, the government unit,” he said. “We still have to uphold our obligations around confidentiality.