A Pleasant Valley School District board member accused of bullying earlier this month responded to her fellow director during a meeting Thursday night.

Laura Jecker read a prepared statement labeling herself the subject of a “coordinated attack” by Pleasant Valley Director Daniel Wunder.

“He attempted to smear me, my reputation and my position as a board member,” Jecker said. “Judging by the comments following the extensive media coverage, his plan backfired.”

At an Oct. 11 meeting, Wunder addressed a social media post made by Jecker in which she questioned the anti-bullying efforts of Pleasant Valley’s administrators.

“When you attack someone in a position who is unable to defend themselves, it is called bullying,” Wunder said of Jecker’s comments toward administrators.

On Thursday night, with Wunder not in attendance, Jecker said she is the parent of a Pleasant Valley student who has been bullied, picked on and teased for years.

“All of the staff and students here are important to me,” she said. “Days before (Wunder’s) statement, a high school student was attacked at his locker and punched in the face. Bullying happens all of the time and should not be taken lightly. It’s our duty to provide a safe school environment for all students and staff.”

Tougher consequences

While the district has a policy on bullying, Jecker said it is merely a “template provided by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and needs toughened.”

Specifically, she said, tougher consequences are necessary.

Pleasant Valley’s anti-bullying committee, which Jecker sits on, is now a year old, but she said the meetings have not been consistent.

“I’m embarrassed for the district, but hope recent articles help me get our bullying policy changed to include real consequences,” Jecker said. “It is one of a long list of items that have been ignored over the years and need addressed.”

Following Jecker’s comments, director Robert Serfass read a statement of his own.

“You can’t be for stopping bullying during the day and be a bully at night and expect to help problems,” Serfass said.

Though he didn’t direct his comments to anyone in particular, Serfass referenced “insulting threats and emails, sexual comments made toward board members, belittling employees in public, accusing the business manager of having two sets of books, and comments about getting rid of all administration held over from the time period when Carole Geary was superintendent.

“Not all of our administration is bad,” he said. “I think the district is moving forward. If we can’t control ourselves, how can we expect our students to stop?”

Principals comment

Pleasant Valley’s administrators were given a chance Thursday to detail their anti-bullying efforts. Elementary Principal Roger Pomposello described anti-bullying lessons at every grade level in his building.

“We work really hard at that character education, defining what is a bully,” he said.

Other administrators discussed how reports of bullying are investigated, and a final determination on consequences is made.

“We’ve been focusing on the aftermath and getting students to really understand how the person being bullied felt,” said Todd Breiner, Pleasant Valley Intermediate School principal.

“We want our students to understand they should not be a bystander,” said Josephine N. Fields, middle school assistant principal. “We’ve asked them to think about what they can do to play a role in stopping bullying.

Matthew Triolo, high school principal, said the school is starting a mentoring program for freshmen next year. They will each be paired up with a junior.

“Kids need to feel like they have someone to lean on,” he said. “We want to create a family atmosphere and a culture that focuses on school pride.”

Board President Len Peeters said he’s not proud of the public airing of grievances.

“I could not believe the calls I got regarding what happened at the board meeting,” Peeters said. “I don’t want to see that happen again. We are here for the kids. When stuff like this happens, it is not productive. If there is a problem, it should be handled in the back. To bring dirty laundry out here in public, that is something that shouldn’t happen.”

All of the statements made Thursday have hopefully brought the controversy to a conclusion, Superintendent David Piperato said.

“Nobody wants bullying to become a political football,” he said. “We know administrators are dealing with it as often as it arises and trying to prevent it. We sometimes forget about the people in the trenches, and that is our teachers and paraprofessionals. Not one person goes into education wanting to tolerate bullying. I hope this puts a period at the end of the sentence.”