Central Bucks School Board Members React To Abuse Investigation

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Members of the Central Bucks School Board on Thursday reacted to an investigative report by Disability Rights Pennsylvania, which confirmed abuse of students in a special education classroom at Jamison Elementary School and found that mandated reporters and administrators failed to properly report the allegations.

The investigation by the watchdog group found that students in an autistic support classroom were subjected to abuse, neglect, illegal restraints, and aversive treatment last fall by a teacher and an assistant.

Disability Rights Pennsylvania also found that mandated reporters at Jamison and in the district failed to file a ChildLine report and that the ChildLine reports filed by Superintendent Dr. Steven Yanni on behalf of the district were “delayed, incomplete, and misleading.”

In light of the report, the board placed Dr. Yanni on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a third-party investigation commissioned by the school board in February to investigate the classroom abuse allegations and the district’s response.

“The abuse that occurred at Jamison was horrific, inexcusable, and I don’t stand for it,” said school board president Susan Gibson on Thursday night. “This abuse happened. I have never questioned it. I have advocated for leave of personnel. I’ve advocated for change, for an investigation, and I’ve tried to do it through due process. That was my reason for not speaking out up to this point. I intend, as a board member who has one single vote, to continue to advocate for accountability, to hold every single person accountable who committed the abuse, covered up the abuse, and was otherwise complicit in this abuse, which was absolutely horrific and no child should have to go through.”

Gibson, who said the issue “hits deeply close to home” but did not elaborate, said she would “do everything I can to make sure those responsible will be held accountable. I will also do what I can to repair whatever trust was broken by me, this board or this district. And you have my promise
that I will try to work with the community to heal, move forward and make things better for our students, and most importantly for our staff.

“Even though this incident happened, I genuinely believe it is an isolated problem with two very bad actors and this is not what our district stands for,” Gibson said. “This is not what I experience in our district and in our very valued staff, our very valued educators, valued PCAs, and others who work with and for our students every single day.”

Gibson added, “I intend to work hard to fix whatever happened to create a culture where there wasn’t reporting of this abuse. I hope our investigation will shed some light on what those next steps are so that we can figure out how to prevent this from ever happening again because no child should be abused in a classroom.”

In February, the board hired Leigh Dalton, an attorney with the law firm of Stock and Leader, to look into the allegations of child abuse at Jamison and how the allegations were reported out by the
administration. That report is expected to be completed by the end of the current school year.

Board member James Pepper, whose autistic son was one of two students subjected to abuse in the classroom, said without the support staff union, the incidents would have been buried.

“The principal wanted to fire this heroic woman (the whistleblower) and the support staff union stepped in and prevented it. I have always been a union man and this is why.”

Board member James Pepper.

With that said, Pepper called the district’s teachers’ union “disgraceful. They tried to strong-arm teachers who had direct knowledge of the abuse of children in that room and they tried to frustrate the DRP while they conducted their investigation.”

Pepper, who called for the resignations of Superintendent Dr. Stephen Yanni and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Nadine Garvin in January when the abuse allegations surfaced, said he blames them for “the cover-up of the abuse of my son and other children in that room.”

He continued, “Why did this happen? I think there was a culture of protecting the principal. Rather than protect my son and other children in that room, Dr. Garvin protected Principal Dave Heineman. That is outrageous … They sent my son and other children back into that room to be abused and did not care. They lied. They covered up. And at every turn, Dr. Yanni has lied. We knew enough information to put all of these people out on leave in early January, which begs the question. Why weren’t these people put on paid leave pending the outcome of Leah Dalton’s investigation?

“This can never happen again,” said Pepper. “If it was up to Dr. Yanni and Dr. Garvin and (Human Resources Director Robert) Mr. Freiling, my son would have been restrained multiple times today for 20 to 40 minutes at a clip, he would have been left nude on a filthy bathroom floor, etc. I will never get over this,” he said.

The board’s vice president, Heather Reynolds, echoed board president Susan Gibson’s remarks and told Pepper and the other families with children in the special education classroom “my heart goes out to you.

“Speaking as a mother of two in the district, I want to begin by saying how outraged I am and have been that this has occurred in our district,” said Reynolds. “The reports from the Jamison special education classroom, particularly the findings in the DRP report, are horrifying and heartbreaking. And like many of you, I am not only deeply disturbed by what has come to light, but I am furious.”

Central Bucks School Board Member Heather Reynolds.

Reynolds continued, “Our students, who are the most vulnerable, deserve to be respected, protected and cared for – always. When that sacred trust is broken, the harm is immeasurable not only for the children directly impacted, but for their families, our staff, and our entire community … In light of the DRP report, the board has taken decisive action and Dr. Yanni has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the ongoing third-party investigation. And let me be clear. The board takes all allegations seriously. And when the facts warrant action, we do act. Accountability is not optional. It is essential. In moments like this, words are not enough. Actions must follow and it has. And it will continue to follow.”

Board member Dana Foley apologized “to the families who feel devastation and heartbreak. I am sorry,” she said. “As a board director, I am also devastated. I am sorry and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. After reading the report, some of it was not news. Some of it was. And I had to reflect at how utterly disgusted and furious I am … My heart breaks for the families involved.”

Foley added, “The accusations of misconduct in this report have not been overlooked and are being taken very seriously. All of this could have been avoided. It should have been avoided because there are safeguards in place to prevent events like this from happening … I will do all I can as a board director to try to turn things around here on this issue and far beyond it.”

Central Bucks School Board Member Dana Foley.