New Hampshire’s Londonderry High School suspends ENTIRE champion cheerleading program after allegations of ‘toxic and pervasive culture of bullying, harassment and discrimination’

A New Hampshire high school’s cheerleading program has been suspended after allegations of bullying and harassment involving both students and adults involved in the program.

The Londonderry School Board has unanimously voted to immediately suspend the high school’s cheerleading program.

The decision was communicated to families via a letter from Daniel Black, superintendent of Londonderry Public Schools.

“School officials recently became aware of extremely concerning allegations regarding a toxic and pervasive culture of bullying, harassment and discrimination within the Londonderry High School Cheerleading Squad,” Black wrote.

“Unfortunately, these allegations span the entire cheerleading program, including the coaching staff, student-athletes and parents.”

The cheerleading coaches at the school have now been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, as detailed in Black’s letter.

School administrators are also said to fully support the school board’s decisions, Black explains.

The school is in the process of selecting an independent investigator to thoroughly investigate the allegations. The school board will make a decision on September 25 on whether the cheerleading program should continue this season.

“Participation in extracurricular activities is a privilege, and we hold high standards for student-athletes at Londonderry,” wrote Superintendent Black. “…When we receive allegations that a program’s overall culture perpetuates poor treatment of students, we must act quickly,” the letter said.

Black, who has been in his role as chief inspector since December last year, also clarified that no misconduct has been confirmed at this time.

If the investigation reveals misconduct, the school board will address it through “typical disciplinary channels.”

Black emphasized the purpose of every administrator and school board member in Londonderry.

“Every administrator and school board member has the shared goal of helping students succeed in a caring, supportive learning environment,” the superintendent wrote.

“If the integrity of that environment has been compromised, it’s incumbent on all of us to determine what went wrong and how we can fix it.”

Notably, the letter did not provide specific details about the allegations or when school officials first became aware of them.

Black also warned against “gossip, rumors or speculation” during the investigation period.

“Any student behavior that constitutes bullying or retaliation should be reported to the appropriate administrator and will be addressed accordingly,” he wrote.

“While your student’s behavior at school is important, you should also consider their behavior online, including cyberbullying,” he warned.

Captain Patrick Cheetham of the Londonderry Police Department said his department is not involved in the investigation at this time.

‘We are aware of the letter. There is no open investigation,” Cheetham said.

School officials also stated that no criminal evidence has been found to support the allegations at this time.