Allegations of child abuse at Jamison Elementary School have become a central issue in the race for Bucks County district attorney, drawing sharp contrasts between Democratic challenger Joe Khan and Republican incumbent Jen Schorn.
Supporters of Khan are airing campaign ads accusing Schorn of failing to act after local and state investigations found that nonverbal students with autism at the Central Bucks school had been improperly restrained and that those incidents went unreported as required by law, according to the Bucks County Courier Times.
Schorn’s office declined to prosecute anyone involved, saying earlier this year it was not her place “to weigh in on non-criminal matters.”
Investigations by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Disability Rights Pennsylvania (DRP) found that Jamison administrators misled police, provided incomplete information, and failed in their legal duty to report suspected abuse.
DRP further concluded that senior district officials — including the superintendent, principal, and department heads — did not meet mandated reporter obligations, according to the article.
Khan, a Central Bucks parent, argued Schorn could have pursued criminal charges, including those tied to the failure to report child abuse, and convened a grand jury.
For comparison, prosecutors did pursue charges in a separate Bucks County case at West Rockhill Elementary in the Pennridge School District, where a special education teacher was charged — and later pleaded guilty to reduced misdemeanor counts — for improperly restraining a student with autism.
Schorn has not publicly responded to Khan’s latest criticisms or to questions about reopening the Jamison case, according to the article.
Read the full Bucks County Courier Times article here.
