UPPER MT. BETHEL TWP., Pa. - Parents in the Bangor Area School District are calling on administrators to bring back middle school cheerleading after the program was shut down amid bullying in-person and on social media.
Athletic Director Steve Panczer said in a Nov. 3 letter to parents that the decision to postpone the cheerleaders’ winter season was made “with careful consideration and commitment to the overall well-being of our students.”
Attorney Matthew Goodrich represents the families of five team members. He pleaded for a reversal of the decision during a meeting of the Bangor Area School Board on Tuesday night.
Besides reinstatement, he said, parents wanted the cheer team run without the involvement of high school varsity cheerleading coach Lisa Keith; the implementation of a conflict-of-interest policy regarding Panczer; and an accounting of the more than $10,000 they said team members raised for the extracurricular club.
According to the parents, Keith verbally abused team members and wrongly accused them of bullying. Additionally, they said, Panczer’s daughter was among the 24 girls on the team and that relationship compromised his objectivity.
“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. These issues have been a cause for concern and have affected the overall educational experience of our students.”Bangor Area School District Athletic Director Steve Panczer
In his letter to parents, Panczer said postponement of the season was a decision not made lightly but was “a necessary step to create a positive and supportive environment for all our students."
“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.”
Panczer said, “These current challenges demand that we prioritize the academic and emotional well-being of all our students at this time.”
Goodrich asked for a reconsideration earlier this week but didn’t get an immediate response from the school board or the administration.
“Let's not punish them and have no success,” Goodrich said. “No possibility of success, no ability to have success because there just isn't a program. So I implore you to work with me. Reverse your decision.”
While Keith is the high school varsity cheerleading coach, parents said she would regularly direct middle school cheer team practices.
Several girls said Keith yelled at them or forced them to run laps after they said they were accused of bullying, which they deny. Parents said several disturbing social media posts from within the team were not sufficiently addressed by coaches or administrators.
“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."Matthew Goodrich, attorney representing five families
Seventh-grader Katelyn Pachnek said Keith instructed the girls not to talk about what happened at practices.
“Whatever happens in the gym stays in the gym,” she said Keith told them.
Neither Panczer nor Keith responded to LehighValleyNews.com’s request for comment.
Cheerleading program guidelines spell out the social media policy, stating that students who post negative videos, pictures or posts would be removed from the team and those posts would be considered “bullying.”
Bangor Area Schools Superintendent William Haws did not respond to an emailed request for comment and declined to answer questions after Tuesday’s school board meeting.
Communication issues
Parents said their attempts to try to resolve the issues around bullying were unsuccessful. They blamed poor communication with district staff and coaches.
Cyana Rodriguez is head coach of the middle school cheerleaders and Lauren Heines coaches the junior varsity team. Each was approved by the board for the 2023-2024 season with a stipend of $2,100, according to minutes of the May 23 meeting. Rodriguez and Heines did not respond to requests for comment.
The parents said coaches would not respond to their calls or messages, and district policy bans parents from approaching coaches before or after a practice or a game.
They said the situation deteriorated to the point that Keith instructed parents on Oct. 13 not to leave their vehicles when dropping off or picking up their kids from practices.
District leaders including Panczer, Assistant Superintendent Kristin Kruger and Assistant to the Superintendent Braden Hendershot met with parents in October to discuss bullying issues.
Parent Jim Honszer said he contacted Hendershot after the meeting to say he believed Panczer was not taking their concerns seriously. Other parents said they had similar concerns.
“Unfortunately we were unable to agree on a resolution to what’s going on,” Honszer said. “It was very difficult for me to sit there and have a professional adult conversation as your athletic director sat there smirking and laughing at everything that was brought to attention by all of the parents."
More than $10,000 raised
Bauer said the middle school cheer team raised more than $10,000 so far this year through fundraising activities. According to Bauer, Keith told parents the money was going to the high school cheerleaders.
“Her reasoning behind this was that one day when our children are on high school cheer, they'll be grateful that someone's paying for them,” Bauer said. “Now, what is the chance that in three years, my daughter might even be interested [in cheerleading]? She might, she might not.”
School Board President Michael Goffredo said money raised by one team would not normally go to another, but he wasn’t sure how cheerleading raises money as a whole.
Goffredo said after Tuesday’s meeting that he had heard of students seeing disturbing social media posts, but was unsure if it was true. He would not comment on any steps taken by district staff to address sensitive social media content.
