Cost of investigations into alleged cover-up after student sexting scandal infuriates parents

INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. — Parents and members of the Blairsville-Saltsburg School District school board clashed Wednesday over the thousands spent to investigate allegations of a cover-up after a student sexting scandal.

After a sexting scandal rocked the school district three times in 2014, parents and students are still feeling the aftershocks and paying for it. The school board hired three law firms to investigate how the administration handled it even after the Allegheny County district attorney said the punishments were adequate.

Channel 11 News obtained a copy of the paperwork detailing how much it cost taxpayers, which totaled more than $13,000.

"I feel like they could be putting it toward the music programs, toward field trips for the seniors, toward resources to stress and bullying,” parents Amber Hoopengarner-Adderley said.

Hoopengarner-Adderley’s stepson was involved in one of the scandals. She said months after her stepson was suspended, a school board member showed up at her house, encouraging her to sue the district she represented.

"I opened the door, and she said, ‘Hi, my name is Holly Hall. I'm on the school board, and I want to talk to you about your son being discriminated and wrongly punished in this whole scandal.’ And I told her I would talk to the principal, and she said, ‘No, you should talk to the lawyer first.’”

Hall declined to comment Wednesday.

“I don't want to comment. I'm not commenting on that,” she told Channel 11 News.

The superintendent, who handed out the punishments, was suspended with pay two weeks ago. Her attorney said she believes it's retaliation for presenting a consolidation plan to the board.

The business manager also resigned from his position two weeks ago. Channel 11 News obtained a copy of his resignation letter in which he directly attributed to hostile work environment of the school board president and president to his resignation, saying it was affecting his health and well-being.

Cox Media Group