Dozens of Seth Lehman supporters, most of whom were dressed in white to show unity, waited patiently Monday night for their chance to speak in support of the former Cumberland Valley High School head girls’ soccer coach.
Former players, current players and future girls’ soccer players helped fill many of the seats, while others stood three rows deep in the back of packed board meeting room at the Cumberland Valley School District Office.
Others stood against either wall, or simply sat wherever they could find room.
They were waiting to have their voice heard and to ask the Cumberland Valley School Board to re-consider their decision to remove Lehman as CV’s head girls’ soccer coach.
Lehman, who guided the Eagles to 162 wins, a 2011 PIAA spring championship and the last two District 3-AAA titles, was abruptly removed as head coach late last month when the school district opted to open the position.
No reason was ever made public for Lehman’s removal, but in a statement released by athletic director Mike Craig on May 21, it re-iterated that “While the district has elected to open the positions associated with Girls Soccer, the 2014 coach remains an active member of Cumberland Valley School District’s staff. To ensure privacy, the district does not comment on personnel matters.”
Lehman and more than 15 other people spoke to the school board on Monday.
Lehman, who became head coach in December 2008, was the first to address the board. But before Lehman could make his comments, school board president Bob Walker made a statement.
Walker expressed his frustration about messages regarding the coach’s dismissal being spread throughout the community and in the media, and said the board does not agree with all of the information that has been disseminated in that manner, nor does it accurately portray the reasoning behind the board’s decision to advertise the position.
Though he said the board cannot go into further detail on the subject because of the sensitivity the board must take in personnel issues, he said, “We hope to bring forward a candidate as soon as possible.”
“I am here to urge you to strongly reconsider the decision that was made to open up the head coaching position at Cumberland Valley,” Lehman told the board. “I absolutely love what I do here. I love being a teacher, I love being a coach.”
“One of the main reasons I love being a part of this district and why I love coaching are all of these girls behind me. It absolutely brings me to tears with the thought that I’ve had these girls as players in the past, I have these players currently and there are young girls coming up that I can’t wait to coach,” Lehman continued.
Lehman’s wife, Savannah, also made an emotional statement expressing frustration in the one-sided way in which the decision was made.
Another parent drew the ire of Walker when he said “I feel by bending to the will of a few angry, bitter or disappointed parents and by opening this position, because some people were upset by their daughter getting cut, you’re setting back the program of girls’ soccer at CV for years.”
“Whoever comes next will have to live in fear that if they make a decision that upsets a few, politically-connected parents…”
At that point, Walker responded. “I’m sorry I’m going to have to cut you off, you’re out of line. Your comments are unfounded. If you want to be in line with comments that have been previously made, I’ll allow you to continue, otherwise I have to cut you off.”
(PennLive correspondent Tricia Kline contributed to this story)
