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 
Oh look another letter by Brian Drapp. Just a reputable “news page” you have here. Didn’t this guy just get destroyed by one of the board members. Why don’t you post that?
LikeLike
Take it easy Dr Brian Allen. We know that you are very emotional about not having enough litter boxes in the school to satisfy your needs but you really shouldn’t become so irrational and angry at the rest of us. I am sure that your political slush fund CV Cures or your pal running the quarter million dollar a year cheer booster can buy you more litter boxes.
LikeLike
How could CV approve a right to know and then just stop in the middle of it. Not interested in opinions about personalities. I care about facts. Why did they stop? Are they still accepting right to know requests?
LikeLike
If Cv lost their first appeal with the Office of Open Records, then why are they wasting money and appealing again? Has something changed?
LikeLike
The solicitor just wanted to add some extra billing apparently. Win or lose his firm still wastes our tax money.
LikeLike
Is this really about doing the right thing for CV or about the Solicitor getting more money for his law firm by keeping all this legal stuff in the courts?
LikeLike
Not really news. School administrations lie, politicians are dirty and slimy, and lawyers are blood sucking leeches on society who would sell their grandmother for a dime. It really isn’t a shock that they hate honest parents who call them out. Politicians are corrupted and will sell out for money and sex. Any scandals or affairs come out about the board or administration yet? Make this interesting.
LikeLike
hey you know there are about 30 other school districts around, right?
LikeLike
Do they have the same levels of corruption and cover ups?
LikeLike
I don’t care about other schools. I care about CV, the school my two kids go to!!!!! I keep getting emails about cuts to field trips, sports, and other stuff. I even remember when Dr. Blanchard wanted to get rid of JROTC. Now he has some kind of personal vendetta with Mr. Drapp and he is willing to spend whatever it takes, to include even breaking laws, just to prove his manhood. Stop this insanity now!
LikeLike
Leave Dr. Blanchard alone…he’s STILL busy texting on his phone!
LikeLike
But are any other schools paying their Superintendent $250,000 a year and letting him break the law and refuse to give out any more RTK emails?
LikeLike
Every year it gets worse with the clowns running CV and the fetish driven idiots Verber paid to place on the board. That useless man child has destroyed our district to soothe his own inflated ego. Now half the board is terrified that emails might come out showing how corrupt and dishonest they are.
LikeLike
I thought that Rebecca Leathery was the Right to Know person, not Dr. Blanchard? Who’s decision was it to stop providing emails that were already approved? Did Ms. Leathery break the law or Dr. Blanchard?
LikeLike
Where is CV Board President Michelle Nestor in all of this? She’s no where to be found. Is she out drinking again at Gilligan’s or the Caddy Shack, or is she still pouting from her crushing defeats on election day, or did CV Cures Political Slush Fund founder cut her off financially or fire her for her losses…and especially the loss of her own politician Savannah Martin she managed?
LikeLike