An attorney for Conestoga Valley School District on Tuesday disputed a Strasburg woman's contention that the district pressured Millersville University to punish her for alleged unprofessional conduct.

Stacy L. Snyder, a former student teacher at Conestoga Valley High School, filed a lawsuit against Millersville University after the school declined to award her a teaching certificate and a degree in education.

Snyder, a 27-year-old single mother of two sons, spent about three months in 2006 working as a student teacher at Conestoga Valley High School before controversial photographs posted on her MySpace page came to light.

A photograph showing Snyder, a dean's list student, wearing a pirate hat and drinking from a plastic cup was released along with the lawsuit. A caption reading "Drunken Pirate" appeared underneath the photograph.

Shortly before graduation in May 2006, Snyder said she received a review from her advisers at the high school that gave her an "unsatisfactory" rating in "professionalism." The teachers gave the university a copy of a photograph that was posted on Snyder's Web site, she said.

The college subsequently declined to award her a teaching certificate and gave her a bachelor of arts degree in English instead of a bachelor of science degree in education.

Snyder and her attorney, Mark W. Voigt of Plymouth Meeting, did not name Conestoga Valley School District or any of its teachers in the lawsuit.

However, school district solicitor Howard L. Kelin said Tuesday that criticism of the teachers contained in the lawsuit is unfair.

Kelin disputes the allegations the teachers, Deann Buffington and Nicole Reinking, influenced the college to withhold the degree.

Snyder was given a poor evaluation based on her performance while teaching at the high school and was warned not to direct students to her MySpace page, which contained the questionable photographs, Kelin said.

Despite being warned to maintain a professional relationship with her students Kelin said, Snyder continued to direct students to her Web page.

"Snyder required 'significant remediation' as a teacher, and her evaluation reflected serious performance problems," Kelin said. "Contrary to what is alleged in Ms. Snyder's lawsuit, nobody from the school district threatened that it would not accept any more Millersville University student teachers unless it punished Ms. Snyder.

"Nothing like that ever occurred. Whatever Millersville University decided to do with the evaluation and other information provided by the school district was up to Millersville University."

The university and Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education have declined to comment on the case.

Kelin also said the photograph released along with the lawsuit was not the same one Buffington and Reinking submitted to the university.

The photograph they submitted, Kelin said, shows Snyder holding a plastic cup and making a hand gesture while wearing the pirate hat.

Snyder mentioned on her Web site that she had been warned about posting online messages to students, Kelin said.

According to a statement issued by the school district, "Snyder's Web site invites students to continue looking at her page, and in apparent response to Ms. Reinking's advice that such an invitation was unprofessional says, 'I don't think that they would stoop that low as to mess with my future.' Ms. Snyder's Web site says further that students keep asking her why she will not apply to teach at Conestoga Valley and asks, 'Do you think it would hurt me to tell them the real reason (or who the problem was)?' "

Snyder submitted an apology to the high school and university after being told she would not receive an education degree or teaching certificate.

The school district released a copy of the letter.

"I wanted to express a variety of emotions to each of you: regret, empathy, confidence and responsibility," Snyder wrote in the letter dated May 12, 2006. "I have a large heart that only wants help others, not harm them.

"This incident has caused me to open my eyes and realize that I am the only person to blame. I have to take full responsibility for my actions and live with the consequences determined by the administrative staff from Conestoga Valley High School and Millersville University."

E-mail: blovelace@lnpnews.com