Pennsylvania School Superintendent Will Resign Amid Controversy Over ‘Genderqueer Witch’

A Pennsylvania school superintendent announced he would resign amid questions from parents about his decision to allow a “genderqueer witch” to survey students on sexual matters without their consent.

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Superintendent John Sanville said Friday that he would be stepping down from his position on July 31. Over the past year, Sanville has faced criticism from parents after a self-identified “genderqueer witch” surveyed students about their sexual history at the end of the 2023 school year. 

Sanville did not mention the ongoing controversy or the investigations into the incident in an email he sent out announcing his retirement, and did not respond to a request for comment. 

“This decision comes after much reflection and conversation with my bride Debbie, and while not made lightly, I know the timing is right,” Sanville wrote on Friday. “Please say hello when our paths cross — the conversations with students, staff, and families have always been the very best part of this role.” 

A firestorm first ignited in the district after a “genderqueer witch” known as Deni Tobin administered a survey to high school freshmen on their sexual activity, including asking them whether they had ever pressured anyone into sex. The survey was administered in partnership with the Chester County Crime Victims Center, an organization that worked with the district from 2017-2023.

The district eventually admitted that it had distributed the surveys without parental consent, violating school policy. 

Local parent Chad Williams has led the charge against the district, filing multiple complaints at the state and federal level alleging that student privacy rights were violated with the surveys and that the district has broken public disclosure laws in its handling of the incident. 

In July, a state-level investigation was also launched by the Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel over an educator misconduct complaint that Williams filed in April. The results of that inquiry are not yet known. 

Williams has received few answers so far, but started gaining traction last week after he reached out to the office of Pennsylvania Republican Senator Dave McCormick. McCormick’s office put Williams in touch with three Department of Education officials, who he asked to review the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment complaint he filed on July 17. 

“That introduction led to a rapid succession of communications and confirmation that my complaints were being reviewed by the appropriate people in the Office of Civil Rights,” Williams wrote on Friday. “For some perspective, we had more direct communications with senior education officials in a two-hour span on Thursday afternoon than we’ve had in the previous six months combined.”

This came after Pacific Justice Institute lawyer Janice Lorrah, who is working with Williams, asked the Department of Education to launch a formal investigation into the district. Lorrah pointed to a recent case where the Department of Education ruled that a New Jersey school district violated the rights of parents by distributing DEI-themed surveys. The judgment came after a lawsuit from America First Legal.

“We are extremely hopeful that with President Trump’s Executive Order yesterday to end indoctrination in public schools, as well as his pledge to enforce the rule of law, including PPRA, we will see cooperation from the DOE to address these issues,” Lorrah wrote last week to the Department of Education. 

A spokesman for the Department of Education told The Daily Wire that it doesn’t “comment on case activity” when asked about the inquiry into Unionville-Chadds Ford. 

Trump has issued a variety of executive orders seeking to reform the American education system, including pulling funding from school districts that promote gender ideology and critical race theory.