DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The superintendent of the Central Bucks School District was placed on administrative leave following the release of a report alleging the abuse of elementary school students with special needs.
The announcement that Dr. Steven Yanni would be placed on leave took place at the Central Bucks School Board meeting Thursday night. There were cheers in the room filled with concerned parents who expressed their anger at the allegations and frustration with how the district handled them.
“Abuse of children who can’t defend themselves — it’s disgusting. It’s truly disgusting,” one parent told NBC10.
The nonprofit Disability Rights Pennsylvania (DRP), which has been investigating allegations of abuse at Jamison Elementary School, released a 73-page report on Wednesday with its findings.
According to the report, a teacher and an aide abused four students, between kindergarten and second grades, who were in an autism support classroom from September to December 2024.
“The students in classroom experienced abuse, neglect, illegal restraints, use of aversive techniques, and disability discrimination, as defined under applicable state and federal laws,” the DRP stated in the summary section of the report. “Compounding the abuse, District staff failed to comply with the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law, which requires immediate reporting of suspected child abuse to ChildLine.”
James Pepper, a school board member, told NBC10 that his 9-year-old son was one of the students who was abused.
“Our boy cannot speak. He was restrained. His water was restricted from him. He was physically punished,” Pepper said. “There is no place in our district or any district for people that cover up child abuse.”
Pepper said he and others were misled. The DRP claims that Yanni and other district officials mischaracterized the seriousness of the allegations, and the district’s fact-finding investigation was flawed.
Before Yanni was placed on leave, he released a statement saying he read the report and there were “a number of instances of inaccuracies that I will address in the future when I am able to do so.”
Yanni and the district are waiting for the completion of an independent investigation that is being conducted by an outside firm.
According to Warwick Chief of Police Mark Goldberg, an independent investigation was conducted by Warwick police and separately by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, who chose not to prosecute.
“It was noted in the Disability Rights PA report that our police department did not release investigative reports to them. The PA Criminal History Records Information Act prohibits the release of criminal investigative information to any agency other than a criminal justice agency. Disability Rights PA is not a criminal justice agency,” Goldberg wrote in a statement about the investigation.
Criminal charges have not been filed, so Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn did not address the specific allegations laid out in the DRP report.
“It is my and our Chief of Special Victims Unit’s life work to identify and prosecute individuals who abuse children,” she said in a statement. “You will not find fiercer advocates for the protection of children and those with disabilities. As prosecutors, we took an oath to review any allegations of abuse dispassionately with the law as our guide. The report by Disability Rights Pennsylvania identifies recommendations for the school district to consider, which include staff and administrator discipline, training, policy development, and additional safeguards for the safety and rights of students with disabilities. As the district attorney, it is not my place to weigh in on non-criminal matters. To do anything beyond that would be beyond the scope of my statutory authority.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office vows to continue to be vigilant in prosecuting criminal acts of child abuse.”
Goldberg said, while the “allegations are serious and troubling,” they “ do not rise to the level of crimes as defined by Title 18 of our Pennsylvania statutes (Crimes Code).”
"There may be violations of education regulations and policies and procedures of the school district, but that goes beyond the scope of what a police department can address," he added. "I can assure our residents and our community that the investigation conducted by my officers was thorough, complete, and professional. I support them without reservation.”