New allegations surface against Cumberland Valley cheerleading team
By Tasmin Mahfuz
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CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — New lawsuits have emerged from Cumberland County, bringing more allegations against the Cumberland Valley School District and its cheerleading team, with two former cheerleaders alleging mistreatment and bullying by the coach due to a disability.
The suit, filed on June 26, includes accounts from two former cheerleaders who were part of the program in 2020.
One of the cheerleaders alleges that the current coach, Kristi Schaffner, bullied and mistreated them because of their disability.
The lawsuit claims that the student had a hearing loss disability, which required her to be in a specific position on the mats.
However, when she was placed in a different spot, she missed a stunt and was mocked by her teammates.
The coach allegedly condoned this behavior. The lawsuit demands a jury trial.
This is not the first time the cheer program has faced legal action.
Last fall, separate lawsuits alleged racial discrimination against African American members of the team.
These alleged micro-aggressions included an incident during a trip to Florida when a girl said she was told to go into another cheerleader’s room, get down on all fours, and pretend to be a pet.
Back in November, the district stated they hired an independent investigator to look into the cheer team, but the plaintiffs in the federal case chose not to participate.
The investigation found no evidence to support any salacious claims in the suit.
The district has yet to comment on this new lawsuit.
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