New band director

This is part of Cheryl Stansbury's story that appears in this week's Columbia Ledger.

The Columbia High School Band has a new leader.
Scott Muenz was hired out of pool of 42 applicants for the position. In addition to instructing the band, he will also serve as a music teacher at the high school.
Muenz replaces Robert Richards, who was charged in April for allegedly having sexual relations with a student. Richards, recently, waived his preliminary hearing before District Judge Robert Herman and is waiting to stand trial in Lancaster County County.
Muenz first day at Columbia will be Aug. 21.

Did same thing happen

When Columbia band director Robert Richards was arrested for a sexual encounter with a student, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s office and the Columbia Police Department hoped that more students who may have information on the incident would come forward.
While that hasn’t happened in Columbia, it has in Richmond, VA., where Richards was the band director at Varina High School in the Henrico County School District. Shortly after the Richmond Times-Dispatch ran a story about Richards’ arrest in Columbia, people have come forward to the Columbia Ledger with information that there were similar incidents at his former school, which were never pursued by school officials or police.
The Henrico County School District in Richmond had little to say about the allegations.
“Mr. Robert Richards was a band director at Varina High School from September 1998 to June 30, 2001. That’s all the information we can provide,” said Mychael Dickerson, media relations director for the Varina County School District.

To find out more, read this week's edition.

No pay for teacher

The Columbia School Board officially suspended Band Director Robert Richards without pay at its meeting last night.

Richards was charged by police in Columbia and West Hempfield Township on Feb. 7 for having contact with a minor student.

The board also said they can have no comment on the issue or receive comment until the legal process plays out.