Residents and staff speak out at Schuylkill Valley SD meeting over resignations, retaliation and workplace climate

Several residents and current and former staff used the public‑comment period at the Schuylkill Valley School District board meeting on Feb. 24 to raise concerns about staff turnover, alleged retaliatory behavior by administrators and the recent resignation of longtime athletic director Stephanie Deibler.

Lisa Jacobson, a Berne Township resident and parent, said she was accused at a prior meeting of violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and that the accusation led her to seek legal protection. “I had to seek legal protection from a district administrator and a board member,” Jacobson said. She said the post in question was anonymous and did not include educational records or personally identifiable student information.

Joanna Schlottman, also of Berne Township, told the board she believes turnover is driven “more to do with leadership styles and work environment” than commute times. She said staff fear retaliation for speaking up and criticized the board for permitting an administrator to make what she called “personal attacks” in a prior meeting.

Kai Miller, a Schuylkill Valley graduate who coaches junior high girls soccer, urged speakers to check facts before alleging misconduct but said the board must enforce its own rules. “If you’re gonna state a rule, enforce it,” Miller said. He also identified himself as related to one of the staff members who spoke in the meeting and said that some claims made against that individual were false.

Several speakers urged the board to ask departing employees why they left. Jane Segota of Center Township and Peggy Romanis of Leesport Borough both praised Deibler’s long service and said the district should ask her why she resigned. Romanis said she believed Deibler gave “her heart and soul” to the district during her years of service and that it was “a shame how their careers ended.”

Former and current staff members who addressed the board described a pattern of departures and concerns over working conditions. Christine Wysocki, Byrne Township, called the loss of experienced staff a loss of “safety nets” for students and urged the board to speak directly with departing employees to understand reasons for leaving.

Other commenters raised related operational concerns. Joseph Brown of Berne Township questioned the district’s policy requiring students to leave coats in lockers and said that during a Jan. 30 gas‑smell evacuation students were reportedly sent outside without coats. Brown urged the board to review video and interviews to verify whether staff had left students exposed to cold. Principal and administrative responses in the meeting said student safety was the top priority and that students were allowed to retrieve coats when necessary; they also said the district seeks to limit large outerwear in classrooms for safety and to reduce tripping hazards.

Ryan Gordon of Leasport said a banner hung by students was removed minutes before a home playoff football game and announced his organization would suspend volunteer field work and donations “while Ms. Tashner is still here.” Gordon said his group had provided tens of thousands of dollars in donations to district athletics over the years and described the banner removal as “a slap in the face.”

The board did not take immediate action in response to the public comments during the meeting. Several speakers requested that the board contact departing employees to learn why they left and to consider whether district leadership or policies need review.