Upper Dublin School District. Photo by James Short.
Former Upper Dublin Superintendent Steven Yanni was placed on leave from his Central Bucks position after a report found that students were abused in a special education classroom at one of the district’s elementary schools, the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote.
Yanni, who was a former superintendent in Upper Dublin and Lower Merion, was named Central Bucks’ superintendent in May. He served in the Upper Dublin School District from 2018 to 2023.
Central Bucks maintains that it has found no evidence of abuse, an investigative report found that Yanni and other school administrators failed to investigate and disclose to authorities the allegations against the teachers, which included screaming at students, allowing them to cry for long periods of time, and permitting student nudity and masturbation.
Central Bucks School District President Susan Gibson and Vice President Heather Reynolds said that Yanni “will be placed on administrative leave. During his absence, Dr. Charles Malone, assistant superintendent for secondary schools, will assume the role of substitute superintendent,” according to the article.
The announcement comes one day after the release of a report by Disability Rights PA, finding that students in an autistic support classroom at Jamison Elementary suffered abuse from a teacher and educational assistant.
The abuse was first reported to the district by a personal care assistant in November. The complaint included use of illegal physical restraints and creating a “likelihood of sexual abuse and exploitation” of one student, according to the report.
The district maintains that it has found no evidence of abuse, but the report found that Yanni and other administrators failed to accurately investigate and disclose to authorities the assistant’s allegations, which included screaming at students, allowing them to cry for long periods of time, and permitting student nudity and masturbation.
Read the full article here.
