McKeesport Area school board to receive disciplinary hearing results over failure to report child sexual abuse
MCKEESPORT, Pa. (KDKA) -- Rocked by the sudden resignation of its superintendent, the McKeesport Area School District continues to reel from its failure to timely report an allegation of child sexual abuse.
As it began its school year, the district was rocked with the sudden resignation of Superintendent Tia Wanzo and news that the high school principal and a teacher had been suspended with pay and were under investigation.
It happened after a special counsel report cited all three for failing to timely report the alleged sexual relationship between a district security guard and a 16-year-old student.
The principal and the teacher have appeared before a disciplinary hearing and two others faced hearings Wednesday afternoon. School board attorney Gary Matta said the results of those hearings are expected to be presented to the school board Thursday night.
"We will discuss in executive session with the findings of those hearings," said Matta.
According the special counsel's report, last October a student told a teacher of the relationship between the 16-year-old student and the security guard. The teacher told the principal who in turn informed Superintendent Wanzo, but the report says no one called the state's ChildLine to report the alleged abuse until five days later and Wanzo did not move to remove the security guard until two months later.
Sources say at her disciplinary hearing, the teacher named other school administrators who may have known about the alleged relationship even earlier but also did not report the abuse. Those two administrators had their hearings Wednesday afternoon. Matta said they face possible discipline ranging from reprimands to suspension without pay to termination.
"Moving forward what needs to take place when a situation like this occurs and we want to make sure that whatever took place previously was done appropriately," Matta said.
At its meeting Thursday night, the school board may get the results of those final two hearings and mete out discipline on the employees. The hope is the district may then get on with the school year.