Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania — A letter written to the Cumberland Valley School District by a concerned parent is calling into question an attempt to limit public comments after a political action group was criticized during a school board meeting. The group, CV CUReS, which controls the majority of school board and policy committee members, has sought to have public comment sessions reduced at school board meetings.
The letter states:
Cumberland Valley School District
6746 Carlisle Pike
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
April 16, 2026
Re: Reduction in Public Comment – Changing Board PolicyThe Cumberland Valley School District (CVSD) voted on April 6th to reduce public comment by eliminating one of two public comment periods and reducing total public comment time from six to five minutes. Members of the public and even board members asked why the need to change a policy that was just updated in ‘24.
The Jan 28th Policy Committee Meeting Minutes reflected the initial discussion to change that was championed by freshman board member Mr. Mike O’Brien who recommended cutting overall public comment time in half to just a single three-minute period. Thankfully, other board members who respect first amendment rights pushed back hard enough to keep 5 minutes of public comment time for CVSD residents.
The Policy Committee Meeting Minutes also show that during the discussion, Mr. Brian Allen voiced his concern that public comments had “included references to political groups.” Note: During public comments, people have occasionally referenced the political action group CV CUReS who controls five out of the nine current CVSD board members and two out of three Policy Committee members. It is reasonable for CVSD residents to be concerned about the possible undue influence of CV CUReS over district policies and financial matters.
In December 2025, CVSD residents began to talk and ask legitimate questions about years of missing documentation relating to the massive CVSD Sponsorship Funds now overseen by Mr. O’Brien. Coincidently, the two individuals who ran the CVSD Sponsorship Funds for the past 15 years, retired at the end of 2025, and are now active in CV CUReS. The aggressive push by certain board members to reduce public comment occurred only a month after these inquiries began.
Some residents believe in coincidences, some do not. What do you believe?
Thank you for your attention to this matter,
Jason Snyder
Concerned Citizen in CVSD
Harrisburg100 
Another issue CV Board Member Mike O’Brien is involved with. In this case, he was the one who initiated and pushed the reduction in free speech. So, CV CUReS backs O’Brien, CV Sponsorship Funds are discovered by pubic to be unaccounted for, public starts demanding accountability (and O’Brien’s oversight) in public comment, O’Brien tries to reduce public comment from 6 to 3 mins, and successfully does achieve a reduction.
This is the only initiative O’Brien has done. Given all the scandals within the Athletic Department, Boosters and Sponsorship Committee areas under his responsibility, Mr. O’Brien should focus on them instead of suppressing free speech while Board Pres Michelle Nestor sits back and watches him to take the fall.
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What a clown show!
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How are O’Brien’s habitual failures to do oversight of scandals going to help him when he reigns his seat within year to seek higher office?
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Did CV CuRES ask their financially backed board members to use their seats to help promote the PAC’S reputation?
Reminds me, is it legally a PAC? If memory serves required financial reporting did not support PAC status??
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CV CUReS, which is basically 1 man who received $2M in Covid loans, which were forgiven and never paid back. They now live in luxury, throwing around their money to rent out entire movie theaters for themed costume parties, and use what’s left to grease local, low-level politicians.
Thanks for the contributions, CV CUReS, I mean, taxpayer who had to foot the bill for this charlatan!
And don’t forget to thank Mr O’Brien, who ran to “fight for the People,” but once he got elected, dropped the “for”…
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How many more scandals can a district have? These are sad times.
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