Former Pa. school board candidate charged with providing alcohol to minors

A former Downingtown school board candidate who sent emails under the guise of "Society of College Medicine" while objecting to books in the district was charged earlier this month with providing alcohol to minors at a party with more than 100 children.

Christopher Bressi, 46, was arrested after the party at his Glenmoore house on Nov. 2, when police responded to a complaint about noise and underage drinkers. According to the criminal complaint, officers who arrived at Bressi's house at 8:28 p.m. found "100-200 juveniles partying with extremely loud music audible off the property, and openly consuming alcoholic beverages."

"Numerous intoxicated individuals fled the residence and several were treated by EMS for alcohol overdoses," according to the complaint.

Bressi and his wife were home, and "provided both the venue and means for the juveniles to consume alcohol at the property," according to the complaint.

Bressi, who was released on $25,000 unsecured bail, did not return a request for comment Tuesday.

A Republican backed by the conservative parental rights group Moms for Liberty, Bressi ran unsuccessfully for the Downingtown school board last year. The Inquirer previously reported on Bressi's connection to numerous websites professing to be "global networks" of professionals; one, the Society of College Medicine, repeatedly emailed Downingtown officials, saying the society had issued the district "violations" for books it deemed to be critical race theory, an academic framework targeted by conservatives amid backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

The emails, which alleged the district ranked "in the bottom tier of all schools we assess globally," did not have names attached to them but were signed by the society's "Violations Department."

At the time of the 's publication, the website for the Society of College Medicine didn't list Bressi, or anyone in charge of it. But Bressi's LinkedIn profile had listed the society in the past, and the website had also previously mentioned Bressi.

The website — which bills itself as "a school safety, accessibility & emergency preparedness website & network" — now includes a post written by Bressi. It also features a note that says it operates "solely as an informational website and online web community. It does not hold the legal status of an organization."