DV Journal

“May it never happen again.”

Those were the words of parent James Pepper, a Central Bucks School Board member, whose nonverbal, autistic son was one of the students allegedly assaulted by staff members in a special education classroom at Jamison Elementary School.

Pepper spoke at a recent school board meeting where the board voted to fire five employees– including former Superintendent Steven Yanni, who was suspended in April– over the child abuse allegations. While the employees were not named on the agenda, teacher Gabrielle McDaniel and Yanni released statements denying the allegations.

The district has been roiled for months after a staff member filed a complaint in November that became public.

Pepper opposed the firing of Alyssa Wright, the director of pupil services, who he believes was wrongly terminated. Pepper read a letter from his wife at a November meeting, detailing how terribly their disabled son was treated by those who were responsible for his education.

Central Bucks School Board Member James Pepper

Pepper, the only Republican board member, is not seeking reelection.

Although Pepper also reported allegations to the Warwick Police, no charges were filed. District Attorney Jennifer Schorn declined to prosecute the teacher and the teacher’s aide in the special education classroom.

A jarring investigative report from Disability Rights Pennsylvania came out in April. That report concluded the teacher and aide “subjected students in (the) classroom to abuse, neglect, illegal restraints and aversive treatment, for which the district is responsible. The district subjected the students to disability discrimination.”

The district also hired lawyer Leigh Dalton to investigate and present findings to district officials. That report has not been made public. DVJournal asked why and also how much the district paid Dalton. Spokesman Michael Petitti refused to answer the questions.

Instead, Petitti said that since the matters are personnel issues, the only information that would be provided was a board statement, noting that most employees are “dedicated, caring professionals.”

The board “voted to take decisive personnel actions following the end of the investigation phase of the Central Bucks School District’s response to allegations of child abuse in an autistic support classroom at Jamison Elementary School. These actions affect operations across the district,” Petitti said.

“Due to legal considerations and the due process rights of the employees involved, the district will not provide further comment or release any legal documents that led to these actions.”

Board President Susan Gibson began the meeting with an acknowledgement of failure.

“The district let down these students and their families.”

The board plans to enact a “comprehensive training plan for all teachers and staff to be in place for the 2025-26 school year.”

Pepper also opposed the removal of special education supervisor Katie Veisz.

“The politics of this place are grotesque,” said Pepper, who sued to get the district to reopen during COVID because Zoom instruction was not helping his sons. During one “very frustrating” Zoom lesson, the teacher asked if she could record it, and Pepper agreed. He asked for a copy of the video, and the teacher told him he could have it. But another person denied his request, saying it had been erased.

“I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve been lied to by this district about my sons…I decided at that point I would consider running for the school board…When I ran for school board, as God as my witness, I did not do it for myself, I did it for other people.”

Pepper said his son was the victim of “Nudity. Mocking. Corporal punishment. Restraints.”

Mary Bucci, a district behavioral analyst, said, “Like many, I watched with disappointment and sadness as the newspaper began to publish articles about the problems at Jamison. As the DRP report was finally released, I was disappointed by this board’s deafening silence, the torrent of allegations and delayed action.  The removal of Katie Veisz and Alyssa Wright, the most vocal advocates for the students, despite the Pepper family’s disagreement, was and continues to be confounding.

“The choice is again being made to take away the voice of those most deeply affected,” Bucci added. “The only independent investigation made available to the community showed that Alyssa called on leadership to stop concealing abuse and neglect, identified the culture of fear against speaking up, and believed a pretext was being created to terminate her employment by the district. Your message, intentional or not, that those who speak up can expect retaliation has been well-understood.”

Lisa Sciscio, a former school board member, called on the board to share the Dalton report. She noted that McDaniel had hired the law firm Cozen O’Connor to fight her termination. However, until the Democrats flipped the board in November 2023, that firm had handled employment law for Central Bucks.

“Do you know that Cozen O’Connor negotiated the current teacher contract?” Sciscio asked the board. “The contract Cozen O’Connor will be using to challenge your actions tonight,” she said. “Did the district execute a conflict waiver to allow Cozen O’Connor to represent Miss McDaniel?…Perhaps hiring the law firms of politicians like Steve Santarsiero (a state senator and chair of the Bucks County Democrats) wasn’t such a good idea.”

Pepper asked the solicitor if the board had gotten a conflict waiver for Cozen O’Connor. The lawyer, Mike Kristofco, admitted it had not, and he promised to look into it.

The Cozen O’Connor law firm released a statement to DVJournal from McDaniel, stating that she would fight her termination.

“I am deeply disappointed by the district’s decision to terminate my employment based on allegations that have been thoroughly investigated and found to be unsubstantiated by the district itself and several agencies,” said McDaniel. “It has been incredibly difficult to watch false claims about me be repeated and perpetuated, especially by people who know the truth. Despite this, I have remained respectful of the process and deferential to all those involved.”

Yanni sent a statement to DVJournal as well.

“I am incredibly disappointed by the board’s decision regarding my position as superintendent of the Central Bucks School District. In the near future, I look forward to resolving the matter by ensuring accurate information is shared, as the last few months have been punctuated with inaccurate information and attacks against my leadership, professionalism, and character.

“For more than two decades, I have dedicated my life to my career as a teacher and leader. Those who know me know that I am a staunch advocate for children, their education, and their well-being. That will continue to be my focus.

“I will fight to regain the good name and reputation that I built over my career as an educator and advocate for children,” Yanni said.