Pa. is investigating Central Bucks over alleged abuse of special education students, a report says

The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education has opened an investigation in the Central Bucks School District following allegations of abuse of special education students, according to the Bucks County Courier Times.

The Courier Times reported Friday that state officials this week visited Jamison Elementary School, where children in a special education classroom were allegedly mistreated. The news organization, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter, said questions from investigators focused on use of physical restraints.

A department spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.

Michael Petitti, a spokesperson for Central Bucks, said Friday the department had visited the district this week, “and district administration accommodated the visit. The district has not received any documentation or feedback based on this visit.”

“Should PDE determine that the special education department needs to adjust their processes, the district will certainly do so,” Petitti said.

At a Jan. 16 school board meeting, board member Jim Pepper and several community members accused the district of covering up abuse of students, including Pepper’s son, at Jamison. And according to statements read by those community members, there were eyewitnesses who corroborated a whistle blower’s complaint.

That complaint, filed with administrators in November, alleged that children at Jamison Elementary School were “improperly restrained, physically punished, left undressed for extended periods, and prevented from drinking water and communicating using speech devices,” according to the Courier Times, which obtained a copy of the complaint.

Under state law, physical restraints are supposed to be used only as a last resort after less restrictive techniques have been tried.

District officials said they investigated the allegations and didn’t find that any abuse occurred. The Bucks County district attorney, after reviewing evidence presented by the Warwick Township police, declined to prosecute.

But community members who spoke at the school board meeting — including former Republican board members — said that Superintendent Steven Yanni had left out allegations in a report filed with ChildLine, the state hotline for child protective services.

They also said that witnesses had confirmed the whistle blower’s account. One former board member, Leigh Vlasblom, said Pepper’s son was left “nude on the bathroom floor, with a trash can placed in front of the door,” and “was walked across hot wood chips and asphalt to punish him for taking off his shoes.” She also said Pepper’s son and other students were restrained “for long periods of time in the classroom.”

Pepper said Yanni and other district officials had lied to him, attributing the allegations to a “personality conflict” in the classroom, and acknowledging only “instructional concerns.” He called for their resignations.

The school board, meanwhile, has said it would hire an outside agency to review the investigation, along with the district’s internal procedures.

In a message to the community earlier this week, the board also said that it would be implementing a “classroom safety plan” for the classroom in question, including “the assignment of a second teacher to act as an observer, pending the outcome of the investigations.”

“Our focus remains on ensuring the safety and well-being of all students in our district and understanding the full scope of what has transpired,” the board said, adding that the review “will take time to complete.”