The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has opened an investigation into how a Tier 3 registered sex offender on state supervision was assigned custodial work inside Upper Bucks Technical High School while students were present.
The man, a C & J Environmental employee convicted in Colorado in 2002 of attempted sexual assault of a child and later twice convicted in Bucks County for Megan’s Law violations, worked inside the school twice this year, according to PhillyBurbs.com.
DOC officials said state law bars Tier 3 offenders from positions involving contact with children, and the man’s parole officer was reportedly told he would be working in an “unoccupied” building.
The disclosure sparked public criticism at a Nov. 20 Joint Operating Committee meeting, where parents accused the school and its contractor of a lack of transparency, per the report, as an alleged whistleblower informed a grassroots community group to show up at the meeting.
School officials said C & J, located at 1800 Mearns Road in Warwick Township, failed to submit required background checks before placing the worker on campus, a violation of policy. Administrators learned the contractor had been verbally warned after the first incident in January, yet the employee returned in July on a day when students were unexpectedly on site, according to PhillyBurbs.
The JOC voted 8–1 to add a Dec. 18 agenda item to discuss seeking proposals to replace C & J Environmental.
According to the report, some members argued the breach justified a new custodial contractor, while others said the school had already strengthened procedures and that finding a replacement vendor has been historically difficult.
Community groups in Pennridge, Palisades, and Quakertown have urged parents to attend the December meeting.
The employee is not being identified because he is not facing new criminal charges, and C & J’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment from PhillyBurbs. The DOC investigation remains active.
