A Nantucket environmental activist is under scrutiny after her controversial attempt to make a statement against a proposed synthetic athletic field left the local school board in turmoil. The activist, Meghan Perry, presented the board with a plate of brownies laced with laxatives during a meeting, a move that could lead to legal consequences.
As the Nantucket School Committee convened, Perry approached the podium just 30 seconds into the meeting, setting the stage for an unexpected and chaotic turn of events. With a seemingly friendly gesture, she offered what appeared to be a sweet treat to the unsuspecting board members.
“I brought these for you guys,” Perry announced, handing over the tin-foil-covered plate, as captured by the meeting’s livestream footage. Her words seemed harmless at first, suggesting the brownies were a remedy for the afternoon slump.
Committee chair Laura Gallagher Byrne initially expressed appreciation for Perry’s thoughtful gesture, unaware of the shocking revelation that would soon follow. Perry’s stunt, intended as a protest, quickly turned into a contentious issue, overshadowing the original debate over the synthetic field installation.
“They’re brownies, I know this time of day for me is like totally draining,” she said as
Committee chair Laura Gallagher Byrne praised Perry for the kind gesture before the resident dropped the explosive truth bomb.
“It is my understanding they do have a non-detect level of Ex-Lax in them, but I figured since we’re OK with a non-detect level of PFAS it would probably be OK,” Perry said.
Poly and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread, manmade chemicals that break down very slowly over time, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Byrne has filed a police report against Perry for the stunt and after the tainted brownies were left in front of her for the remaining hour-long meeting, according to the Nantucket Current.
“The School Committee values respectful engagement and an environment where members of the community feel welcome to share their concerns. That process was compromised during last evening’s meeting,” Byrne told the outlet.
“Because this incident occurred in a school setting and during a public meeting, we are reviewing our public comment practices and filing a police report, as advised by town leadership,” she said.
It wasn’t known what charges Perry could face.
Perry, who wore a “clean water is a human right” T-shirt, said the brownies were “safe to eat,” but didn’t share how much of the over-the-counter stimulant laxative was placed in the desserts.
The local activist was allegedly upset with Nantucket Public Schools’ plans to revamp the town’s Vito Capizzo Stadium, which includes the controversial artificial field.
Opponents of the plan – which has been under consideration since 2013 but only approved by voters in May – say poly and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) or so called “forever chemicals” found in the synthetic turf are a threat to public health, according to the Nantucket Current.
“PFAS is a real danger. PFAS leaches out of the turf. Plastic particles—nano-particles, micro-particles—leach out of the turf. The turf is a problem,” Dr. Tim Lepore, the only School Committee member who voted against the proposal said in May, according to the outlet.
“The turf field, to me, is a loser. We have the highest incidence in Massachusetts of breast cancer. We have a number of our firefighters that have had cancers. We have to avoid the PFAS.”
Voters twice approved the $26 million project over the past month once at a town meeting and another at the polls during the May 19 election.
The athletic facility revitalization will include a new turf field surrounded by a synthetic track, lighting, bathrooms, concession stands and a modernized grandstand.
The school district and Nantucket Land Water Council are in final discussions over proper testing protocols for the artificial turf and track, the Nantucket Current reported.
A report from consulting firm Weston & Sampson noted that PFAS are listed under California Prop-65 to be “known to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm.”
The report also found that several states have specifically banned synthetic turf for having PFAS, but Massachusetts is not one of them.
