Easton Area School District police officers were out in force Tuesday night as the school board sought to maintain decorum in the face of increasingly heated calls for action against school nursing supervisor Kelly Keegan, whose Charlie Kirk-related posts have generated a fierce backlash.

Shouting matches broke out at times in the audience as public comment stretched past the 90-minute mark and speakers directed their frustration at the school board.

“I’m not playing around and neither are these parents,” said district parent Kathleen Harrison. “We will not stop until Kelly Keegan loses her job.”

Images of a Facebook post attributed to Keegan and widely circulated on social media called Kirk a “monster” and said “his wife and kids are better off without him as is the rest of the world.” The Morning Call was unable to independently verify the comments, which were taken down.

In addition to calling for Keegan to be fired, Harrison and others advocated political action against the school board, saying they should be held accountable at the ballot box for failing to address parents’ concerns.

Keegan also is a member of the Northampton County Council. The Northampton County Republican Committee organized a protest before the Sept. 18 council meeting.

About two dozen protesters showed up on Sept. 18, along with a handful of counter protesters who defended Keegan. Council members unanimously passed an anti-political violence resolution. Keegan, who attended the meeting remotely, endorsed the resolution.

School district solicitor Jonathan Huerta opened Tuesday’s meeting with a set of reminders about respectful audience conduct, saying the board’s intent was to hear from residents without allowing the meeting to devolve into disorder.

“This is a personnel matter, and as such we are limited in what we can publicly discuss,” Huerta said.

After the meeting, Easton Area School District Superintendent Tracy Piazza told The Morning Call that she would issue a public statement on the district’s website within the next 48 hours. Piazza said she could not comment further on a personnel matter. No statement was posted as of Wednesday morning.

More than a dozen residents spoke out against Keegan at the school board meeting, saying her hateful social media conduct disqualified her from holding a position of trust as a school employee.

“This is not a concern about free speech, but a concern about her character,” said Forks Township Supervisor Gene Parziale. “Her consistent actions, hate and poor judgment have been apparent for many years and only progresses as time continues.”

Parziale was one of many speakers who referenced prior social media posts from Keegan, arguing that she had denigrated Republicans and objecting to a sarcastic post they said inappropriately mocked students who received exemptions from mask mandates during the pandemic.

Others focused on Keegan’s role as a nurse and said her conduct was incompatible with the compassion that job requires.

“A nurse who celebrates death has abandoned the very heart of the profession,” said Hannah Krywonis, a district resident and Northampton Community College nursing student.

The only Easton Area High School student who spoke said Keegan is an “incredible nurse” who never made her feel her physical pain was a nuisance and always made her feel comfortable.

“She is one of the kindest nurses I’ve ever had in any context,” senior Adaiah Smith said.

Smith called Keegan’s social media comments “disgusting” but said she could understand why Keegan might feel the need to speak out as Kirk argued for the denial of reproductive health care that is critical to the young people Keegan cares for.

Family friend Tracey DeMaria also defended Keegan and emphasized her kindness, noting that Keegan cares for elderly relatives, organizes meals for families in crisis and volunteers at a homeless shelter.

DeMaria praised Keegan’s compassion and read out a statement from her son, who said Keegan defended him as he navigated his autism.

The backlash against Keegan has become “inflamed and increasingly dangerous,” DeMaria said, likening it to the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism and asking the board to look past “one-sized, misinformed character attacks.”

https://www.mcall.com/2025/10/01/easton-school-board-kelly-keegan-charlie-kirk/