File photo.
Lansdale Borough Police have launched an investigation into recent claims made by the father of a former Knapp Elementary special needs student who allegedly suffered abuse and mistreatment at the hands of an educator.
During the late evening of Nov. 10, the student’s father, John Blystone Sr., authored a lengthy post on Facebook alleging his son was subjected to “horrific treatment” at the hands of his third-grade teacher while attending school at Knapp Elementary. Blystone said the information was provided by a former educator who has since quit teaching within the district.
The son, whose name this news organization is withholding because they are a minor, is currently a seventh-grade student at another school within North Penn School District.
In the post, which can be viewed in its entirety here, Blystone alleged his son — who is autistic and non-verbal — was isolated from fellow students and wasn’t permitted to leave his classroom except to go to the bathroom for nearly half the school year.
“No cafeteria, no recess,” Blystone said, adding the isolation led him to pull his son out of the school. “At the time, we were sickened to learn of this mistreatment — mistreatment that now pales in comparison to what we know now.”
Pulling from information provided by the former educator, Blystone alleges his son’s third-grade teacher would place his son in the bathroom for long periods of time, regardless of if he needed to use the facilities. When the son would clap and smile — signaling he was ready to get up from the toilet — the teacher would allegedly leave him there.
Blystone also claims the teacher would intentionally feed his son until he vomited, resulting in many calls from the nurse’s office to pick him up from school due to illness. He added the former educator reported the teacher and the abuse to the state and school district, however the former educator was allegedly admonished by the school’s principal for speaking out against a fellow teacher and nothing came from the report.
North Penn Now is withholding the name of the teacher as they have not been charged with a crime at this time, and we cannot substantiate the allegations. Blystone claims the teacher still teaches special education within the school district, however we cannot verify that claim or their current employment status in light of the allegations.
“Today, we are left feeling betrayed by the school that we entrusted with his care and feeling guilty for not noticing the signs of abuse,” Blystone said. “Every moment I have been hard on [my son] is now passing through my mind, wondering how I would have fared if I was unable to speak up while being hurt.”
The post documenting the alleged abuse quickly went viral, with more than 2,800 shares and 900 comments at the time of publishing. The spread of the post quickly reached district officials, who provided the following statement Friday afternoon:
“The North Penn School District is aware of allegations made online regarding one of our teachers from several years ago. We have been in touch with the family, involved staff members, and others. Such matters require diligent investigation and communication. We are in the process of investigating the matter and will continue to communicate with those involved. At this point due to both student and staff confidentiality, no further information will be provided.”
North Penn School Board President Tina Stoll declined to comment further when contacted by North Penn Now over the weekend, instead pointing to the district’s official statement.
The post also reached Lansdale Borough Police Chief Michael Trail, who confirmed an investigation had been launched in the wake of the allegations.
“We have the report, and we will be conducting a thorough investigation into these allegations,” Trail said. “It will take some time to investigate the matter before we can provide further comment.”
See also:
Concerns Raised After Videos of Students Fighting at Penndale Surface Online, District Responds
Special Ed. Supervisor Settles Case Against North Penn Over Comments Critical of Black Lives Matter
North Penn Issues Statement After Image Surfaces of Teacher Taping Mask to Student
VIDEO: Methacton Coach Punches North Penn Student Athlete During Lacrosse Match
