Report alleges abuse against special needs children at Bucks County School

(WPHL) — An elementary school in Bucks County is being accused of abuse after Disability Rights Pennsylvania (DRP) filed an investigative report against the school and district.

According to the allegations made in the report, Jamison Elementary School is being investigated after a series of suspected abuse occurred in a special needs classroom beginning in November 2024.

What does the report allege?

The report alleged, “the students in the Classroom experienced abuse, neglect, illegal restraints,
use of aversive techniques, and disability discrimination, as defined under applicable state and federal laws.”

The report accuses Central Bucks School District’s Superintendent, Dr Steven Yanni, and other administrators of misinforming police and parents about the abuse occurring inside the school.

Who were the allegations against?

The allegations were made against a Central Bucks School District Teacher and Educational Assistant during the 2024/2025 school year.

The allegations were reportedly made by a Personal Care Assistant (PCA) in the classroom and were corroborated by several other staff who worked in the classroom.

When did the alleged abuse occur?

This abuse is estimated to have begun in September 2024 and ended after the winter break in December 2024.

The teacher outlined allegations of staff inside the school using “improper restraints, physical
punishments, withholding of water from the students, allowing a student to be naked for extended periods in the classroom, and preventing communication by students who use speech devices.”

What actions did the school district take?

According to the Disability Rights Pennsylvania report, Central Bucks School District administrators conducted an internal fact-finding investigation into these allegations, made a referral to ChildLine (Pennsylvania’s child abuse hotline) and the Warwick Police Department, pursuant to the Child Protective Services Law.

A parent of one of the students who suffered abuse alleged that the district did not fully disclose the allegations to Childline and the police investigating this series of incidents.

What interviews were conducted, and what actions were taken by DRP?

In January 2025, DRP contacted the Central Bucks School District administration in order to get contact information for the parents and/or guardians of the students in the classroom.

The report states that on February 5, 2025, “DRP staff made an unannounced visit to Jamison
Elementary to view the classroom and interview witnesses with knowledge of the classroom.”

A representative of the Pennsylvania State Educational Association (PSEA), a union for the District’s professional staff, had reportedly told DRP that staff had been given a recommendation to “not to answer any questions.”

Since it was clarified that it was a recommendation, not a directive, DRP proceeded with the interviews.

Throughout February and March 2025, DRP made several other announced visits to other locations within the Central Bucks School District to interview additional witnesses. Their investigation also included telephone interviews with witnesses who contacted DRP directly, those who were not present in the District during DRP visits, or those who contacted with follow-up information.

DRP says all district staff were offered representation by their union representative or counsel during the interviews.

Throughout their investigation, DRP interviewed 13 staff members who worked in the classroom throughout the school year, as well as 7 district administrators. According to its report, DRP also requested interviews with the teacher at the forefront of these allegations, but they declined.

Statement from the Bucks County District Attorney:

“It is my and our Chief of Special Victims Unit’s life work to identify and prosecute individuals who abuse children. 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.”
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn

Warwick Police Chief of Police statement, in part:

According to a statement from Mark Goldberg, Warwick Police Department Chief, the investigation has been personally supervised by him.

“With the gravity of the allegations, I, as the Chief of Police, have personally supervised this investigation,” said Chief Goldberg.

“There has been discussion of this investigation being ‘closed’ inappropriately. A more accurate description would be that there were times when the investigation was concluded. Every lead had been followed, every witness and every victim had been interviewed. Some of these interviews were challenging, as some of the witnesses and victims were non-verbal. Everything that could be done was done. The investigation concluded, the results were presented to the DA, and a decision was made,” Chief Goldberg wrote in a statement.

“Any new information received was acted upon immediately and thoroughly investigated. The Special Victims Unit of the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office was kept informed and continued to offer guidance and direction,” Chief Goldberg continued.

Despite information presented to the police department and the DA’s office, “their conclusion remained the same, that the behavior alleged did not constitute criminal activity. Having monitored this investigation, I fully support that decision,” Chief Goldberg said.

“I agree with the decision made by our District Attorney’s Office not to prosecute in this matter. The allegations are serious and troubling, but 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,” Chief Goldberg said.

What actions are being taken currently?

According to reports and findings from DRP’s independent three-month-long investigation, Central Bucks School District’s Superintendent, Dr. Steven Yanni, has been placed on administrative leave.

The school district is also reportedly “taking appropriate time to carefully evaluate the information presented before commenting or acting on any details,” the district said in a statement.

What actions does DRP recommend the district take?

DRP urges the school to take action against the teacher and the EA for the alleged abuse they conducted inside the classroom.

“The Teacher and EA should be appropriately disciplined by the District and relevant governing bodies for their abuse, neglect, and violations of the rights of students in the Classroom. These staff should be immediately placed on leave so that they cannot return to the classroom pending the implementation of appropriate discipline and any process related to such implementation. Administrative staff involved in these issues, as detailed in the findings and conclusions above, should be subjected to appropriate discipline as well,” said the DRP report.

The report also urges the district to provide “complete and transparent” information to all prior and current parents of children who may have been in the classroom where the alleged abuse occurred.

The non-profit also urges the district to take action to prevent this alleged abuse from occurring again by bringing in an expert to “provide consultation, training, and technical assistance to the District and its staff on restrictions on restraints and aversive techniques; positive behavior support and appropriate behavioral interventions forstudents with disabilities; responsibilities under the CPSL, special education laws, and disability rights laws; and addressing the culture of fear and retaliation at Jamison and within the administration”.

DRP says after these actions are put in place by the district, they will “continue to monitor the implementation of these recommendations and enforce the rights of students with disabilities within the District.”