LONDONDERRY — School officials in Londonderry, New Hampshire, have taken action against the school’s cheerleading squad due to “a toxic and pervasive culture of bullying, harassment, and discrimination.” Londonderry School Superintendent Daniel Black informed parents in a letter that the cheering program would be suspended “effective immediately,” after a unanimous vote by the school board on Thursday. The board will reconsider the program’s future after September 25th, at which point the suspension will be lifted.
Below is the complete text of the letter from the principal: According to Black, “the entire cheerleading program,” which includes coaches, participants, and parents, is implicated in the allegations. It is a privilege to take part in extracurricular activities, and Londonderry expects a lot from its student-athletes, he wrote. To accommodate its broad student body, the District provides as many extracurricular activities as it can. However, the educational component of these extra-curriculars cannot be ignored because, at their core, they are an extension of Londonderry’s rigorous academic instruction program. Allegations that a program’s culture promotes abuse of students require immediate action on our part.
According to Black, the school board is currently in the process of engaging an outside investigator to look into the claims. Until the inquiry is finished, the cheerleading coaches are on paid administrative leave. According to the superintendent, the cheerleading program has been investigated and “no finding of any wrongdoing” has been made. He promised that the administration would take action through the appropriate disciplinary processes if the probe revealed misbehavior. In the meanwhile, he asked that students and staff refrain from spreading “gossip, rumors, or speculation” about the probe.
Every member of the Londonderry School Board and administrative staff is committed to creating a safe and nurturing classroom for all kids. Wherever that environment’s integrity has been breached, it is everyone’s responsibility to figure out what went wrong and how to restore it, as Black put it. “We look forward to resolving this matter as quickly as possible, and we thank you all for your commitment to making LHS a safe and respectful environment for all students.”
