Naugatuck BOE Member Resigns Over 'Distasteful' Social Media Posts

NAUGATUCK, CT — A Naugatuck Board of Education member has resigned from his position after coming under fire for sharing "inappropriate" pictures on social media nearly a decade ago.

An attorney for board member Aaron McCool confirmed Thursday his client "made the difficult decision to resign" from his position on the school board.

"Mr. McCool's mission has always been to zealously represent his constituency; it is their needs that are his highest priority," attorney Daniel Esposito said in a statement. "Consistent with that mission, and with his constituency in mind, Mr. McCool has made the difficult decision to resign his position with the Naugatuck Board of Education."

Last week, McCool admitted to reposting "several distasteful and inappropriate pictures" on the website Tumblr in 2014.

"This was wrong and I am sorry for my past behavior," McCool said in a statement sent to Patch last week, "however this does not reflect who I am today."

Board of Education Chair Jeff Litke said he was notified Thursday afternoon of McCool's resignation from the board, which was effective immediately.

"We must now come together as a community to continue the work of educating and providing for our students," Litke said in a statement. "The Naugatuck Board of Education looks forward to continuing our mission to provide each and every student with a high quality educational experience."

Litke said the board will meet in the coming weeks to discuss filling the vacancy.

When the images shared by McCool were brought to Litke's attention last week, he denounced them as "reprehensible, concerning and alarming, and something that I take extremely seriously."

In a letter to borough officials, members of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Education Committee referred to the images as "incredibly inappropriate."

See also: BOE Member Asked To Resign Over 'Distasteful' Social Media Posts

"[McCool] 'reblogged' memes of young girls with the phrase 'jail bait' and a young cheerleader wearing garnet and gray with her mouth taped shut and her hands and feet tied together," the letter reads. "He did this as a grown man. Reposting images such as the ones on his feed calls into question his character."

McCool, who was elected to the school board last year, previously said he had no plans to resign. He also emphasized he does not believe these past actions reflect his character and values today and accused Litke of using the images to blackmail him.

"We have all made mistakes," McCool said. "I am disgusted that Jeff Litke chose to use blackmail as a political tactic to try to cancel an opposing voice. A voice that speaks up for the everyday citizen of Naugatuck."