A former Central Bucks School District special education supervisor and Buckingham Township parent publicly accused the district last month of being inconsistent in how it handles suspected child abuse reporting.
Katie Veisz raised the concerns during public comment at the Jan. 22 school board meeting, pointing to two recent incidents she said were not handled in line with the district’s previously stated expectations around mandated reporting.
Veisz, who previously worked as a special education supervisor in Central Bucks and now works in another district, told board members she was bringing forward the concerns both as a community member and as someone familiar with district procedures.
Allegations tied to two recent incidents
Veisz referenced an incident she said occurred at Bridge Valley Elementary School, in which a paraprofessional reported that a special education teacher allegedly deprived a student of access to water and intentionally scratched another student. She said the teacher is now on leave and the reporting paraprofessional was reassigned within the district.
Veisz said multiple district employees, including building administrators and central office staff, were aware of the situation but that “no ChildLine report was made by any of the parties previously stated,” all of whom she described as mandated reporters.
She also cited a separate incident during last summer’s extended school year programming in which, she said, a student was inappropriately picked up and shaken by a frustrated paraprofessional.
Veisz alleged that administrators who were made aware of that situation did not file a ChildLine report and were not disciplined.
“This school board has been clear on its position that all staff members are expected to file a ChildLine report in situations involving suspected abuse,” Veisz said during her remarks. “If this is the board’s stated position, it should be applied consistently.”
Board member pushes back
School board Vice President Susan Gibson responded during the meeting, disputing Veisz’s claim that the board had established expectations beyond state law.
“Our board has not set any sort of standard that exceeds any legal requirements of this district as it relates to child abuse,” Gibson said. “Our board simply oversees the district, and any compliance issues within the district are handled by the appropriate administrators.”
Gibson added that the board does not have the authority to set mandated reporting standards beyond those required under Pennsylvania law.
District says policy was followed
According to the Bucks County Courier Times, a Central Bucks spokesperson said acting superintendent Dr. Charles Malone was aware of both alleged incidents and that district policy was followed in each case, including notification to ChildLine, the state’s child abuse hotline.
Veisz, in comments reported by the Courier Times, linked her concerns to how the district handled reporting expectations in the high-profile Jamison child abuse case, in which several administrators were scrutinized for when and how they filed reports with ChildLine.
She suggested that in that earlier case, administrators were held to a stricter interpretation of reporting obligations than in the more recent situations she described.
The Courier Times reported that Veisz was placed on leave in early 2025, along with other administrators, during an outside investigation into the district’s handling of the Jamison allegations. Veisz later returned from leave and subsequently took a second leave before accepting a position with another district, according to that report.
CentralBucksNow reached out to the district solicitor, school board president and superintendent for additional comment on Veisz’s claims but did not receive a response by publication time.
As of now, the district maintains that proper procedures were followed, while Veisz is urging the board to ensure consistent accountability when staff members become aware of suspected abuse.
