Cumberland Valley School District (CVSD) has weaponized the legal system to avoid transparency and accountability. Superintendent Dr. Mark Blanchard and Open Records Officer Rebecca Leathery, with the approval of Board President Michelle Nestor, have gone along with CVSD’s Solicitor Michael Cassidy of Johnson Duffie to abruptly halt a CVSD GRANTED Right to Know (RTK) Request that was only partially executed without reason or warning, resulting in another appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records (OOR).
Coincidently, the abrupt unannounced halt coincided with the public disclosure (from RTKs) of more CVSD scandals and inappropriate activities. These included – exposing Superintendent Blanchard lying to the four new board members concerning the departure of a former German teacher for inappropriate behavior involving a minor; an invalid employee Settlement Agreement signed by former board President Heather Dunn and approved by current board President Michelle Nestor and Vice President Elected Democrat Jevon Ford; a CV H.S. Varsity football scandal involving racial discrimination, bullying, retribution, illegal recruiting, violating concussion protocol, and Varsity Football Coach Josh Oswalt being given a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP); Superintendent Blanchard intentionally refusing to provide four elected board members with a detailed line-item budget prior to voting on a $195M annual budget; freshman School Director Mike O’Brien’s internal emails pursuing suppressing free speech by eliminating/reducing public comment time at board meetings, etc.
CVSD took the position in their formal Position Statement that the Requestor did not adequately specify what emails were being desired, and that the Requestor should now reimburse CVSD over $20,000 for their time to review. Fortunately, the PA OOR’s Final Determination was that CVSD had in fact already identified all emails requested, GRANTED the request, provided a portion (~46%) of the emails, but was now saying the requestor had not been specific enough (after the fact). The PA OOR also determined that CVSD was NOT entitled to reimbursement in accordance with PA Lawand was directed to provide the remaining emails to the Requestor within 90 days.
CVSD waited until the last day of the 30-day appeal period and paid thousands of more taxpayer money to Johnson Duffie to file a 134-page appeal to the Court of Common Pleas citing the same rationale – i.e., the requestor was not specific enough in their request. The actual request was: “Request all emails “To” and/or “From” CVSD High School Principal Adam Andrechik (CVSD Athletic Director Mike Craig) for the time period Nov 1, 2025 through January 27, 2026 (and January 25, 2026 – for Mike Craig)” Neither Superintendent Blanchard, CVSD Open Records Officer, Rebecca Leathery, or Board President Michelle Nestor can explain why CVSD GRANTED the RTK Requests and partially filled but now has decided the requestor was not specific enough in their original RTK Request and owes CVSD $15K in reimbursement.
What is Dr. Blanchard and Board President Nestor hiding? Why is CVSD wasting taxpayer money by pursuing these absurd appeals? Where are the accountability and transparency the public expects and deserves?
The truth always comes out in the end.
Brian T. Drapp
Captain, United States Navy (Ret.)
Fmr. School Director and Board President
Cumberland Valley School District
Harrisburg100 