A school board in Pennsylvania made the decision on Wednesday night to dismiss five of its employees after an investigation revealed suspected misconduct within a special education classroom.
Central Bucks School District’s Superintendent, Steven Yanni, was placed on leave in April following allegations from Disability Rights Pennsylvania. The report accused Yanni and other administrators of deceiving both police and parents about the abuse claims.
The report detailed that students were subjected to physical restraint, had their water intake limited, and one student was found unclothed. Physical punishments were alleged to have been used in an autism support classroom at Jamison Elementary. These incidents were said to have occurred between September and December 2024.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office has said it does not consider this a criminal matter. So far, no charges have been filed against anyone involved.
At a school board meeting Wednesday at Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, the board chose to fire five staff members they say were involved. The terminated employees were referred to by their employee identification numbers. However, ABC Philadelphia affiliate WPVI did confirm that three of the five terminated employees are Superintendent Yanni, Director of Pupil Services Alyssa Wright, and Gabrielle McDaniel, a special education teacher.
McDaniel’s attorney shared a statement with WPVI on her behalf, saying, “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… I am confident that the truth will prevail, and I look forward to the proper resolution of this matter.”
Susan Gibson, the school board president, addressed the matter at the start of the meeting, telling the crowd, “Make no mistake, the district let you down… Please know that we will do everything in our power to ensure this never happens again, not to your children, not to any other Central Bucks student.”
As WPVI has previously reported, Central Bucks School Board Member James Pepper says his non-verbal, autistic son was one of the children abused. He spoke after Wednesday’s meeting about the abuse he says his son suffered.
“It takes your breath away the way he was treated. He was treated like an animal,” Pepper said. “We need to protect our kids. Without a safe environment, we have nothing.”
Pepper abstained from voting on the five terminations on Wednesday night, and he did tell the crowd he does not agree with Wright’s firing.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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