Here's what happened when man dressed as Caesar went to Dover to criticize school board

DOVER — Backdropped by a crowd showing strong support for the LGBTQ+ community, a Concord man dressed as Julius Caesar was prevented from speaking at a Dover School Board meeting on Monday because he's not a city resident.

Michael Guglielmo, who spent years in the state prison after a 1985 standoff with Manchester police in which he fired gunshots at them, has made headlines recently for complaining about social media posts and what he considered the "girly" attire of a male Concord art teacher. The teacher was placed on paid administrative leave but has returned to the classroom after an investigation by Concord Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Murphy into the complaint was found to be unsubstantiated.

Guglielmo turned heads by showing up to a Concord School Board meeting last week clad in clothes resembling a Roman soldier. He argued teachers should not be dressed in gender-fluid clothing, further calling for the suspension of Concord’s superintendent, the principal of the Christa McAuliffe School and the Concord School Board president, according to the Concord Monitor.

“I am Caesar. Julius Caesar of Rome, the emperor,” he reportedly said before asking the audience if they actually believed he was Caesar due to how he was dressed, per the Monitor.

Wielding a sign stating “Truth Matters” and appearing to be dressed as Caesar again, Guglielmo arrived at the Dover School Board meeting on Monday to proclaim he was speaking as a state resident, taxpayer and member of a group called “We the People of New Hampshire.” Guglielmo stood up to speak during the board’s regular public comment period known as “citizens’ forum.”

Per the group’s website, "We the People of New Hampshire" is a “diverse group of nonpartisan, truth seeking, freedom fighters who are standing up against injustice. We have come together from all over NH as concerned and fed up Patriots. Our fight is against government overreach, medical tyranny, corruption in our state, and mandates that threaten our god given rights and freedoms.”

At Monday's meeting, Dover School Board chairperson Carolyn Mebert stopped Guglielmo to ask for his address. Revealing he resides in Concord, Mebert informed Guglielmo the board would have to vote to suspend the rules to allow him to speak.

No member of the board made the motion, prompting Mebert to tell him that he was not allowed to comment.

“So nobody on this board will allow me to speak?” Guglielmo questioned. “Not one person will motion? So we know where your agenda’s set then.”

Behind Guglielmo were several dozen city school parents and community members holding signs in support of transgender youth and the LGBTQ+ community, some of whom jeered and told him to leave during his back-and-forth with members of the School Board.

“What’s up with the hate? I don’t know what’s up with the hate. I’m just trying to make a speech here,” Guglielmo said in response to the boos.

Guglielmo jawed with a School Board member before leaving the podium and exiting the McConnell Center, yelling that the crowd was filled with a “bunch of haters” before stepping out.

On Tuesday, Mebert stated that the board had been told by Guglielmo ahead of the meeting that he wished to speak on Monday night. She continued that he was informed a vote would need to take place to allow him to do so, as he is neither a Dover resident nor a city taxpayer.

Mebert described Guglielmo's appearance in Dover on Monday as grandstanding.

"What seems to be going on here is there is a group of people who believe they are right about what they believe should be available to kids in school, and there is a group of people who disagree with that," she said. "These guys, the Guglielmos of the world, seem to think there is a clear set of values that should be conveyed, and that’s it."

Word got out on social media that Guglielmo would be traveling to Dover for Monday's meeting, leading to a room full of attendees speaking in support of transgender youth, the LGBTQ+ community and providing safe spaces for marginalized people.

Former Dover School Board candidate denies inviting Guglielmo to meeting

Screenshots of a Facebook page tied to “We the People of New Hampshire” organization indicate Dover resident Sally Staude, a former candidate for the city School Board, alerted Guglielmo of the Dover School Board’s meeting on Monday and that there would be a period for public comment. Those screenshots have not been confirmed by Seacoast Media Group.

Speaking during Monday’s “Citizens’ Forum,” Staude began by denying knowing Guglielmo.

“I don’t know that person. I didn’t invite that person to the meeting. I have no friends with that name in my Facebook… I’m not on a list with anybody who knows that person,” she said.

Staude went on to say that parents have to fight for their rights to be informed and make decisions about their minor children. She then turned to the topic of school choice and education freedom accounts.

“These programs are now growing, thankfully, and enabling parents to choose the best education option for their kids. After all, they do know best,” Staude said.

Parents choose private schools or homeschooling due to there not being a “woke ideology being pushed by the school system as truth,” less influence from school counselors on students’ values and “no administration and teachers withholding information from parents,” Staude continued.

Staude claimed that the Dover school system has over 100 “obscene” books in school libraries, calling some reading materials available for reading “pornography.”

“The schools continue to remain silent and do nothing about this unbelievable issue,” she said.

The “We the People of New Hampshire” group’s Facebook page has a list of over 170 book titles that are allegedly in Dover school libraries and allegedly describe sexual activity, substance abuse and suicide, among other complaints.

Dover school system taking look at processes for reviewing educational, library materials

On Monday night, the Dover School Board held first readings on revisions to existing policies regarding educational material selection, the review or reconsideration of educational or library materials, and the request form for review or reconsideration of fictional educational or library materials. The board also held a first reading on a new policy regarding a request form used for review or reconsideration of nonfictional educational or library materials.

If approved, the School Board would establish two “Educational Materials Review Committees,” one of which would be assigned to review concerns about educational or library materials used in preschool through fourth grade. The second committee would review concerns about materials used between the city school district fifth grade through 12th grade levels.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Man dressed as Caesar confronts Dover NH School Board over sex issues