Central Bucks School District Superintendent Steven Yanni was placed on paid leave at a school board meeting April 23 after a new report cited credible evidence a teacher and aide abused autistic students in their care at Jamison Elementary School.
Parents and community members see this as a start, but a lot more needs to be done. And this begins with criminal charges, which the District Attorney Jennifer Schorn had declined to file.
Then on Monday her Democratic opponent Joe Khan urged her to request an investigating grand jury to conduct an inquiry into the Disability Rights Project report. The 73-page report detailed and concluded abuse allegations were credible at the Jamison building, which serves K-6 students.
“I’m calling on Bucks [County] District Attorney Schorn to seek the convening of an investigating grand jury to investigate the allegations of abuse and failures to report abuse at Jamison Elementary as detailed in last week’s report from Disability Rights Project,” Khan said in a press release.
The DRP investigation found a classroom teacher and educational aid are accused of withholding water during the school day, illegal physical restraint tactics, allowing a student to remain naked in the classroom for an extended period of time and preventing students with speech assistance devices the ability to use them.
DRP, an independent state-wide disability advocacy group, is federally authorized as a protection and advocacy group to act on behalf of those with disabilities throughout the commonwealth.
The organization confirmed there was enough credible and substantiating evidence of the alleged Jamison school abuse.
Khan is a Central Bucks School District parent, former prosecutor and attorney. Khan, a Democrat, is running to become the next Bucks County District Attorney against incumbent Republican Schorn.
“As the parent of two kids in the Central Bucks School District, I was heartbroken to read about the suffering and abuse at one of our elementary schools, and I am frustrated and disappointed by the district attorney’s failure to explain what she knows and why she isn’t taking action,” Khan said.
Schorn has so far refused to reopen the Jamison school case. No criminal charges will be filed against the district’s employees, an investigation involving the DA’s office, Warwick Township Police Department and the state Office of Attorney General concluded.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on April 26 that Schorn and Warwick Township Police Chief Mark Goldberg defended their decision not to bring criminal charges against employees at Jamison Elementary School. Goldberg released a statement on X.
Schorn issued the following April 24 on CrimeWatch PA:
“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’s Attorney’s Office vows to continue to be vigilant in prosecuting criminal acts of child abuse.”
According to a recent ABC Action News report, the Bucks County District Attorney’s office issued a statement that said “the district attorney’s office said they do not believe this is a criminal matter.”
Warwick Township Police Department issued a statement April 25, which said it had “thoroughly investigated this along with the district attorney’s office,” Action News reported.
Khan said the district attorney’s original statement “caused an immediate uproar from our CBSD community and in the news media.”
A press release issued by Khan said the district attorney’s office later posted a statement regarding the investigation and said it was “conducted in such a way that the public can’t see the results,” Khan said.
“What happened here is completely unacceptable, and Bucks County needs a [district attorney] who will stand up for our children and their families when abuse like this occurs.” – State Senator Steve Santarsiero
Schorn later released a letter stating the state attorney general conducted a “second investigation.”
“We received a referral from a state agency regarding this matter. Beyond confirming that, we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation,” Brett Hambright, communications director for the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, said in an email.
State agencies, commissions, the State Ethics Commission, Department of State, Office of Auditor General and local district attorneys with a conflict or who do not have investigating resources may request the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General to open an investigation.
“A fact [the second investigation] that the [district attorney] has failed to shed any light on. Like countless parents in the district, I am fed up with the lack of transparency from our [district attorney] whose messages to the public have raised more questions than they have answered,” Khan said.
A Feb. 6 school board brief reported district representatives entered an agreement for legal services with Stock and Leader of York, (part of Lancaster-based Saxton & Stump since April 1) regarding the abuse allegations.
A whistleblower first reported allegations of child abuse at Jamison Elementary in November 2024, NBC.com Philadelphia reported.
Mandated reporters are school district employees, health and child care workers, social services and law enforcement employees who know about child abuse or have suspicions a child is being abused are required to report it to the Department of Human Services’ Child Welfare Portal.
READ: Central Bucks special education abuse allegations become issue in DA race
Those who are not mandated reporters can still report suspected or witnessed child abuse by calling 800-932-0313.
Yanni and district officials are accused of misleading police and parents, Khan said during a virtual press conference Monday.
Public school teachers and administrators are classified as local government employees because they are employed by school districts. Their salaries come from school district property taxes.
Yanni was offered an employment agreement with CBSD dated May 14, 2024. The five-year contract runs from Aug.11, 2024, to Aug. 11, 2029. His starting salary was made public at $275,000 per year. The contract includes performance bonuses and raises.
Yanni replaced the district’s controversial outgoing superintendent Abram Lucabaugh. Lucabuagh is being considered for the top job at Centennial School District and a local parent has already started a Change.org petition to rally local opposition to the the hiring.
“As a former teacher, I know that safeguarding students is one of the most important duties of any educator. What happened here is completely unacceptable, and Bucks County needs a [district attorney] who will stand up for our children and their families when abuse like this occurs,” State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) said in a released statement.
