On May 3, 2021, a letter from Pastor Chad Stuart was sent to the SAA Community:
The following was promptly posted on the Petition website, and thereafter emailed to SAA Elementary School Families:
Lillian Hepburn-Richmond has read today’s letter from Pastor Chad Stuart. This petition effort unequivocally disavows and condemns any threatening act against anyone anywhere, and fully supports prosecution against those responsible. Any attempt to link such an act with this Petition, its organizers, its signers, or its commenters is totally without foundation, presumptuous, and offensive. Petitions are an entirely appropriate way to deal with the large scale disenfranchisement of the SAA community by its completely undemocratic board and administration. This Petition has also provided additional information and analysis that hundreds have found useful. Signers and commenters are not required to agree with one another on any detail of other signers and commenters. But nothing changes the respectful requests of the Petition and its signers who all agreed on 2 things: to let Judie Rosa finish the school year at SAA, and for there to be a town hall meeting to discuss the school’s abject failure to operate transparently and in our children’s best interests and the mistreatment of our Elementary Principal. If a signer disagrees, they may remove their signature. This is called transparency. A more detailed response to Pastor Stuart will be forthcoming, but we believe it is important to immediately disclaim the suggestion in his letter of a connection between peaceful petitioners and a report of illegal behavior. The one has nothing to do with the other. May the prayer vigil he is organizing be genuine and also pray for institutional transparency, an infusion of democracy, and the regular order accountability to those who have perpetuated or tolerated such harm to SAA in the past weeks and months. Lillian Hepburn-Richmond would join such a prayer vigil.
- Lillian Hepburn-Richmond (a cohort of concerned parents)