Central Bucks School District Superintendent Dr. Steve Yanni was placed on administrative leave Thursday in the wake of an independent investigation that accused Yanni and other administrators of lying to police and the public on the alleged abuse of non-verbal autistic students at Jamison Elementary.
Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools Dr. Charles Malone will serve as interim superintendent.
Board President Susan Gibson said Yanni was relieved of his duties as of 5 p.m. Thursday.
Yanni is expected to be away from the district until the district’s own third-party investigation into the abuse claims is revealed and shared with the public.
According to Bucks County Courier Times, Yanni makes $275,000 a year. He was hired in May 2024 and signed a five-year contract effective July 1, 2024, replacing Abram Lucabaugh.
Read more on the autistic abuse allegations in the Disability Rights of Pennsylvania report here.
The report claimed that the reporting of allegations by Yanni was “a self-fulfilling circle.”
“Dr. Yanni provided limited information in the ChildLine report and to the police; Dr. Yanni told the police that the District’s investigation found no abuse; the police relied on that conclusion in closing the file; and (the head of HR, Rob) Freiling disowned any responsibility for the District to investigate abuse as it was the police’s role," per the report.
