Central Bucks places HR director and manager on leave during investigation into special education abuse allegations.

Central Bucks school district officials announced the suspension of its human resources director and manager on Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of abuse affecting special education students at an elementary school. Robert Freiling, the Director of Human Resources, and Christine Trawinski, the Human Resources Manager, have been placed on paid administrative leave, as confirmed by the district’s substitute superintendent, Charles Malone, along with school board president Susan Gibson and vice president Heather Reynolds.

This announcement follows the recent suspension of Superintendent Steven Yanni, which occurred last week in connection with a report by Disability Rights PA. The report highlighted serious allegations that students in an autistic support classroom at Jamison Elementary School were subjected to abusive treatment by both a teacher and an educational assistant. Such allegations include claims of physical restraint, punitive measures, deprivation of water, and neglect that left students in an undressed state for extended periods.

The abuse allegations were first communicated to district officials in November by a personal care assistant. Following that, Disability Rights PA reported that multiple staff members corroborated these claims. The findings have raised significant concerns regarding the district’s response to the allegations, particularly highlighting failures on the part of Yanni and other administrators to properly investigate and report the incidents. The report criticized Yanni for not fully disclosing the allegations to ChildLine, Pennsylvania’s child protective services hotline, and for previously asserting that the district had found no evidence of abuse, despite evidence to the contrary.

Local police and the Bucks County district attorney have conducted investigations into the allegations, with the district attorney publicly defending the decision not to pursue criminal charges. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has confirmed that an investigation is currently underway, though further details have not been provided.

In response to these troubling developments, the Central Bucks school board engaged the services of an outside law firm earlier this year to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations, although the findings from this review have yet to be disclosed. Freiling and Trawinski, like Yanni, will remain on leave pending the outcome of both internal and external investigations. District officials emphasized their commitment to maintaining the educational environment and the safety of students, assuring that district operations would continue without interruption during this challenging period.