The Cumberland Valley School District has compromised itself by allowing School Board Superintendent Bud Shaffner to sit on both the Athletic Committee and the Advancement Committee while his wife and daughter have contracts and work as athletic trainers in the district.
Those involved are entitled to full disclosure of the relationships and politics involved before the Cumberland Valley School Board votes to renew the cheerleading coaches’ existing athletic contracts. The public has a right to know the facts relevant to the current internal investigation the district has initiated into the cheerleading program.
The fact is that Bud Shaffner, a 28-year serving member of the school’s board of directors, is the husband and father of the cheerleading coaches currently under investigation. Bud’s wife, Kristi Shaffner, has coached at CV for 28 years and his daughter, Bethany Mullin, has coached for 15 years. This system is a recipe for disaster and elected officials should avoid even the mere appearance of conflict to ensure they always act in the best interests of those they represent.
CV is better than that and should set higher standards for our children.
Children should not miss their cheer season because they have to pay for the mistakes of adults acting in their own interests. Mr. Shaffner should resign from his current position on the CV School Board, which represents a seat in Hampden Township.
Shannon Celesnik, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
