Latest news with #Stollsteimer
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Staffers charged with abusing 26 students at Pennsylvania school
Twenty staffers at a Pennsylvania charter school have been charged in connection with the physical abuse of more than two dozen children, some of them as young as 5 years old, prosecutors announced. All 26 alleged victims, ranging from kindergarteners to fifth graders, were enrolled in a behavioral and emotional support program at Chester Community Charter School called the Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success. They were each allegedly subjected to painful punishments at the Philly-area school, including what the students called 'shoulder work,' the office of Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a statement The tactic involved 'pinching students on pressure points near their necks, placing them in holds with their arms crossed in front of them, and having a knee applied to their back until the student was brought to the ground.' The young victims were also allegedly physically restrained at times as a form punishment. 'This case is every parents' nightmare,' Stollsteimer said. 'We send our children to school expecting the adults will keep them safe, not abuse them physically and emotionally,' he continued. 'Our investigation showed some staffers physically abusing children while others sat passively and watched.' An investigation into the matter was launched in January, after a 7-year-old boy told his parents he was afraid to go to school because his classmates were being physically restrained in a 'positive support room' on campus, according to an affidavit obtained by NBC News. The next day, the relatives of another 7-year-old came forward with similar allegations regarding the mistreatment of their child. Investigators went on to uncover roughly 100 incidents of alleged abuse, all of them caught on security cameras, the district attorney's office said. Of the 20 people charged, nine have been accused of abusing students. They are facing counts of conspiracy, simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and failure to report endangering the welfare of a child, the DA's office said. The other 11 have been charged with failure to report the alleged endangerment, and three of them have been placed on leave pending further investigation. Police said the latter group includes a 'dean of students' as well as 'teachers.' The suspects also include 17 contractors from a Chester-based third-party company called Peak Performers Staffing, according to school spokesperson Max Tribble. The school terminated its contract with the company after learning its contractors were using 'disciplinary methods which are strictly prohibited by the school,' he told the Philly Voice. 'The health and safety of our students is always our top priority and that is why we acted quickly to ensure that students would not be further subjected to any unauthorized disciplinary methods.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Staffers charged with abusing 26 students at Pennsylvania school
Twenty staffers at a Pennsylvania charter school have been charged in connection with the physical abuse of more than two dozen children, some of them as young as 5 years old, prosecutors announced. All 26 alleged victims, ranging from kindergarteners to fifth graders, were enrolled in a behavioral and emotional support program at Chester Community Charter School called the Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success. They were each allegedly subjected to painful punishments at the Philly-area school, including what the students called 'shoulder work,' the office of Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a statement The tactic involved 'pinching students on pressure points near their necks, placing them in holds with their arms crossed in front of them, and having a knee applied to their back until the student was brought to the ground.' The young victims were also allegedly physically restrained at times as a form punishment. 'This case is every parents' nightmare,' Stollsteimer said. 'We send our children to school expecting the adults will keep them safe, not abuse them physically and emotionally,' he continued. 'Our investigation showed some staffers physically abusing children while others sat passively and watched.' An investigation into the matter was launched in January, after a 7-year-old boy told his parents he was afraid to go to school because his classmates were being physically restrained in a 'positive support room' on campus, according to an affidavit obtained by NBC News. The next day, the relatives of another 7-year-old came forward with similar allegations regarding the mistreatment of their child. Investigators went on to uncover roughly 100 incidents of alleged abuse, all of them caught on security cameras, the district attorney's office said. Of the 20 people charged, nine have been accused of abusing students. They are facing counts of conspiracy, simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and failure to report endangering the welfare of a child, the DA's office said. The other 11 have been charged with failure to report the alleged endangerment, and three of them have been placed on leave pending further investigation. Police said the latter group includes a 'dean of students' as well as 'teachers.' The suspects also include 17 contractors from a Chester-based third-party company called Peak Performers Staffing, according to school spokesperson Max Tribble. The school terminated its contract with the company after learning its contractors were using 'disciplinary methods which are strictly prohibited by the school,' he told the Philly Voice. 'The health and safety of our students is always our top priority and that is why we acted quickly to ensure that students would not be further subjected to any unauthorized disciplinary methods.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Staffers charged in alleged abuse of 26 children at Philadelphia-area school
Twenty workers at a Philadelphia-area charter school were charged in connection with allegations of abuse of young children and failure to report it, prosecutors announced Monday. The Chester Township Police Department said in court documents that security video captured roughly 100 incidents at Chester Community Charter School's West Campus in November and December involving what the district attorney's office said are 26 victims. The victims, in grades K-5, were members of the school's emotional support program, the office of Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a statement. Some of them were as young as 5 years old, the DA's office said. Stollsteimer said at a news conference Monday that he watched security video of the alleged abuse. 'There are nine individuals who have surveillance video that I've watched putting their hands on children, some as young as 5,' Stollsteimer said. 'Oftentimes, you can see them using their knee to take a child to the ground.' Stollsteimer said formal charges were filed Monday morning. Police filed initial charges in state court March 25 after family members of two students separately raised concerns to the school on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10, according to court documents. An unnamed parent said their 7-year-old son was afraid to go to school because two staffers had used physical holds on children in a 'positive support room' on campus, part of a program at the school called Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success, according to a police affidavit filed in support of charges. Relatives of another 7-year-old boy stepped forward the next day with similar complaints, the affidavit said. Investigators said they found consistent accounts that staffers used 'shoulder work' — including pinching pressure points on the neck, placing children in holds with their arms crossed in front of them and pushing knees into students' backs — as a way of gaining physical compliance, the affidavit said. Nine defendants alleged to have abused or had physical contact with children were charged with conspiracy, simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and failure to report endangering the welfare of a child, the DA's office said. Eleven defendants were charged with failure to report the alleged endangerment. Three of those charged with failure to report are school employees and were placed on leave pending further investigation, the school said in a statement. Both groups of defendants include people with multiple counts of each charge. Police indicated a 'dean of students' and 'teachers' were among the second group. On its website, the school lists the dean of students as Dahkeem Williams. 'We take great exception to the District Attorney's statement that 'all the adults charged are equally guilty in failing to protect these children,'' Williams' attorney, who also represents another defendant in the case, told NBC Philadelphia. None of those charged were in custody, but some have made arrangements to surrender, Stollsteimer's office said in its statement. Online court records did not list attorneys for most defendants. The public defender's office for Delaware County did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night. 'I am proud that today we are holding the support staff, teachers, and even a dean of students accountable for abusing or failing to report the abuse, of vulnerable children,' Chester Township Police Chief Kenneth Coalson said in the DA's statement. Stollsteimer noted that state law mandates reporting child abuse for those who work in school settings. Individual incidents of using physical contact for compliance must each be reported under state regulations, and none were, according to the affidavit. 'This is just unacceptable behavior to happen anywhere, but particularly in a school setting for children who are supposed to be getting emotional support,' Stollsteimer said. The school parent-teacher association did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night. The contractor for whom the DA said most of the defendants work, Peak Performers Staffing LLC, did not respond to a request for comment. Chester Community Charter School said it severed ties with the company and its workers. The school said in a statement that 17 of those charged work for Peak Performers, which it said took over a previous, 'highly reputable' contractor's emotional support work after that contractor discontinued the services the school was using. The school said it was assured the Peak Performers employees were properly trained in physical contact with students but later learned they had not completed the necessary training. The school characterized itself as an unnamed victim in the case, saying it was 'duped' by Peak Performers. 'CCCS plans to pursue all appropriate legal recourse against Peak Performers for the reckless and dangerous manner in which it operated,' the school said. 'CCCS leaders are outraged at the actions and inactions of Peak Performers and stands in solidarity with the other victims.' In 2018, Chester Community Charter School said it was the largest brick-and-mortar charter school in Pennsylvania. The K-8, four-campus school says it serves more than 4,000 students. Chester Township is about 22 miles southwest of Center City Philadelphia. This article was originally published on
NBC News
01-04-2025
- NBC News
Staffers charged with abusing 26 children at Philadelphia-area school
Twenty workers at a Philadelphia-area charter school were charged in connection with the alleged abuse of young children and failure to report it, prosecutors announced Monday. The Chester Township Police Department said in court documents that security video captured roughly 100 incidents at Chester Community Charter School's West Campus in November and December involving what the district attorney's office said are 26 victims. The victims, in grades K-5, were members of the school's emotional support program, the office of Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a statement. Some of them were as young as 5 years old, the DA's office said. Stollsteimer at a news conference Monday said he watched security video of the alleged abuse. 'There are nine individuals who have surveillance video that I've watched putting their hands on children, some as young as 5,' Stollsteimer said. 'Oftentimes, you can see them using their knee to take a child to the ground.' Stollsteimer said formal charges were filed Monday morning. Police filed initial charges in state court March 25 after family members of two students separately raised concerns to the school on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10, according to court documents. One unnamed parent said their 7-year-old son was afraid to go to school because two staffers had used physical holds on children in a 'positive support room' on campus, part of a program at the school called Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success, according to a police affidavit filed in support of charges. Relatives of another 7-year-old boy stepped forward the next day with similar complaints, the affidavit said. Investigators said they found consistent accounts that staffers used 'shoulder work' — including pinching pressure points on the neck, placing children in holds with their arms crossed in front of them and pushing a knee into students' backs — as a way of gaining physical compliance, the affidavit said. Nine defendants who allegedly abused or had physical contact with children were charged with conspiracy, simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and failure to report endangering the welfare of a child, the DA's office said. Eleven defendants were charged with failure to report the alleged endangerment. Three of those charged with failure to report are school employees and were placed on leave pending further investigation, the school said in a statement. Both groups of defendants include individuals with multiple counts of each charge. Police indicated a 'dean of students' and 'teachers' were among the second group. On its website, the school lists the dean of students as Dahkeem Williams. 'We take great exception to the District Attorney's statement that 'all the adults charged are equally guilty in failing to protect these children,'' Williams' attorney, who also represents another defendant in the case, told NBC Philadelphia. None of those charged were in custody, but some have made arrangements to surrender, Stollsteimer's office said in its statement. Online court records did not list attorneys for most defendants. The public defender's office for Delaware County did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night. 'I am proud that today we are holding the support staff, teachers, and even a dean of students accountable for abusing or failing to report the abuse, of vulnerable children,' Chester Township Police Chief Kenneth Coalson said in the DA's statement. Stollsteimer noted that state law mandates reporting child abuse for those who work in school settings. Individual incidents of using physical contact for compliance must each be reported under state regulations, and none were, according to the affidavit. 'This is just unacceptable behavior to happen anywhere, but particularly in a school setting for children who are supposed to be getting emotional support,' Stollsteimer said. The school parent-teacher association did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night. The contractor for whom the DA said most of the defendants work, Peak Performers Staffing, LLC, did not respond to a request for comment. Chester Community Charter School said it severed ties with the company and its workers. According to a school statement, 17 of those charged work for Peak Performers, which the school said took over a previous, 'highly reputable' contractor's emotional support work after that contractor discontinued the services the school was using. The school said it was assured the Peak Performers employees were properly trained in physical contact with students, but later learned they hadn't completed the necessary training. The school characterized itself as an unnamed victim in the case, saying it was 'duped' by Peak Performers. 'CCCS plans to pursue all appropriate legal recourse against Peak Performers for the reckless and dangerous manner in which it operated,' the school said. 'CCCS leaders are outraged at the actions and inactions of Peak Performers and stands in solidarity with the other victims.' In 2018, Chester Community Charter School said it was the largest brick-and-mortar charter school in Pennsylvania. The K-8, four-campus school says it serves more than 4,000 students. Chester Township is about 22 miles southwest of Center City Philadelphia.
CBS News
31-03-2025
- CBS News
20 Delaware County, Pennsylvania, school employees facing child abuse charges against students, DA says
Twenty people working within a Delaware County charter school have been charged following an investigation into child abuse and child endangerment against more than two dozen elementary school students, District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer announced Monday. In a news release, Stollsteimer said the 20 people who were charged worked in the Chester Community Charter School. As of Monday afternoon, Stollsteimer said he believed 3 of the 20 were in custody, but many had made arrangements to turn themselves in. The school staffers were charged with multiple counts related to child abuse against 26 children, ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade, who were involved in the school's Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success program. According to the school's website, the Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success program, or TAAS, utilizes a "team approach to assessing and assisting students facing unique academic and behavioral challenges." The program is described online as a "hallmark success" at the Chester Community Charter School by "implementing a highly effective method of intervention." The investigation into the staffers began after two parents informed school officials in January 2025 that their children were scared to go to school and be placed in "holds" by staff. "Our investigation showed some staffers physically abusing children while others sat passively and watched. All the adults charged are equally guilty in failing to protect these children, some as young as 5 years old," Stollsteimer said. Nine of the 20 staffers charged allegedly used "techniques to restrain and punish children" that were a part of the school program, according to the DA's Office. The methods of abuse allegedly ranged from pinching students in pressure points near their necks, restraining them and threats of "shoulder work." Stollersteimer explained that shoulder work involved pinching students on the pressure points by their necks, putting them in holds with their arms crossed in front of them, and then having a knee pushed on their back until he student was on the ground. Stollsteimer said many instances of the abuse were captured on surveillance video and that in one incident, he saw a staffer "jack a kid up against the wall." "This is just unacceptable behavior to happen anywhere, but particularly in a school setting for children who are supposed to be getting emotional support," he said. Many of the staffers accused of child abuse were employees of Peak Performers Staffing, LLC, a company co-founded by Jennifer Woodhouse and Emmanuel Gilbert of Chester. Woodhouse said the Peak Performers were trained in safety care techniques; however, when investigators asked for records of the training in restraints and crisis prevention techniques, it was revealed that none of the staffers had the mandated up-to-date training, Stollsteimer said. The Chester Community Charter School principal told investigators that any use of safety holds are required to be reported due to Pennsylvania guidelines. However, no holds were reported by the school for 2024, which is when many instances of abuse happened, according to Stollsteimer. "As soon as school administrators learned that there was any possible violation of approved methods, it took swift and decisive action to terminate the contractor," a statement from Chester Community Charter School read in part. "CCCS employees who are alleged to have carried out such practices were also promptly terminated at that time, and any employees who might have had knowledge of the situation were placed on leave, pending further investigation." The school statement said families were notified as soon as they became aware of the abuse allegations and that the families have all decided to keep their kids enrolled. According to the DA's Office, the 20 people charged include: Raymond Harris, Kabree Daniels, Christian Denny, Martin Mincey, Jr., Harry Woodhouse, Jr., Amaru Mohammed, Leroy Campbell, Adrian Hospedale Monica Griffin, Daemon Pierce, Don'Neisah King Pierce, Arijah Clements, Cyrus Barlee, Neanne Edmonds, Breshonna Belgrave, Deja Bennett-Allen, Ryan Ridley, Maggie Moloney, Dahkeem Williams and Asia Pena. Harris, Daniels, Denny, Mincey, Woodhouse, Mohammad, Campbell, Hospedale and Griffin are charged with conspiracy, simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and failure to report endangering the welfare of a child. Pierce, King-Pierce, Clements, Barlee, Edmonds, Belgrave, Bennett-Allen, Ridley, Moloney, Williams and Pena are charged with failure to report the endangering the welfare of a child. "All of these employees, all 20 people, have a duty under Pennsylvania law to report instances of child abuse. They are mandated to report that by law," Stollsteimer said. "So by not reporting it, they violated the law." Stollsteimer said it's an ongoing investigation and authorities are still reviewing surveillance video. Any parents of potential victims are asked to come forward. "This is a systemic problem in this school where these kids in this program were living in fear, a lot of them," he said.
