“Let’s Not Punish Them and Have No Success”: Parents of Lehigh Valley Middle School Advocate for the Return of Cheerleading Season After Bullying Incident Led to Shutdown

A tale of turmoil unfolds within the Bangor Area School District’s cheerleading program as the season has been suspended owing to different challenges. The primary of them being allegations of bullying backed up by financial entanglements. Accusations surrounding the athletic director and the varsity cheerleading coach add complexity to the situation. 

As a result of these complications, communication breakdowns also play a crucial role in suspending the cheerleading program. With parents calling for justice, the demand to bring back the program remains uncertain, giving rise to a puzzling and contentious saga. 

Cheerleading season suspended amidst bullying allegations

The Bangor Area School District has made it to the headlines surrounding the decision to suspend the middle school cheerleading season. The decision had been made citing the bullying incidents that took place within the school and on social media.  

Based on the reports of LehighValley News, justifying the decision of the authorities, Panczer wrote in a letter stating, “The ongoing issues encountered during this school year have negatively impacted our students, both at home, during the academic day, and during team practices/events,” he said in the letter. “These issues have been a cause for concern and have affected the overall educational experience of our students.”

The heart of the controversy lies in the allegation of the cheerleading coach, Lisa Keith, who had verbally abused the team members and wrong accused the girls of bullying. Besides, Keith verbally reprimanded their children as per the accusations raised by the parents of the pupils. However, the parents are dissatisfied with the decision to suspend the cheerleading program and call for reinstatement.

Parents plea for resolution with school authorities

Attorney Matthew Goodrich in representation of five families of students raised their case to the Bangor Area School Board. He has come forward with certain proposals and primarily urging the school authorities to revive the cheerleading season. Putting forward his request, Goodrich stated, “Let’s not punish them and have no success. No possibility of success, no ability to have success because there just isn’t a program.”

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Besides, he urged the team to bring back the cheerleading team without any involvement from coach Lisa Keith. He implemented a conflict-of-interest policy concerning Panczer and maintained a transparent account of the raised funds that supposedly exceeded $10,000. The coach has informed that the raised funds would go to the high school cheerleaders. In the meanwhile, it is because of poor communication revolving around the parents, coaches and district staff that in turn fueled the discontent. As per the accusations made by the parents, the school authorities were not serious in their effort to address the bullying concerns.

Even though the Bangor Area District School’s decision to call off the cheerleading program has led to multifaceted controversy, parents and students await the labyrinth to clear up so that they can continue with their cheerleading passion. The demand for a supportive and transparent environment underscoring the commitment to the well-being of the students remains uncertain.  

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