Dr. Steven Yanni (Credit: CBSD)
Yanni and Heineman terminated after investigations found reporting failures, misleading communications
The Central Bucks School Board voted Thursday night to terminate Superintendent Dr. Steven Yanni and Jamison Elementary School Principal Dave Heineman, concluding months of hearings over their handling of abuse allegations in an autistic support classroom.
The votes followed public hearings in August and came nearly six months after both men were placed on paid administrative leave.
The board voted 6-0 to terminate Heineman, with Pepper abstaining. The board also voted 5-1 to fire Yanni, with Board Director Rick Haring voted in opposition. Pepper also abstained from this vote.
School Board Directors Rob Dugger and Jenine Zdanowicz were absent from the meeting.
The decision ends Yanni’s short tenure as district superintendent — he began in July 2024 — and closes a chapter that began when a whistleblower reported classroom mistreatment last year.
According to investigations by Disability Rights Pennsylvania and the district’s independent review, administrators failed to properly report the abuse, misled parents and police, and neglected required notifications to ChildLine, the state’s child-abuse hotline.
During Thursday’s meeting, board member Jim Pepper, whose child was among those allegedly abused, abstained from the vote but called the outcome “without question the right thing to do.” He told NBC10 the decision “closes only one chapter” for his family, saying they plan to pursue legal action.
“My wife and I will be dealing with this, and my son and I will be dealing with this for the rest of our lives,” Pepper said, holding back tears.
The allegations stemmed from a Jamison Elementary autistic support classroom, where a teacher and aide were accused of restraining and mistreating students, including withholding water and allowing one child to undress. Both the teacher and aide were previously terminated.
Yanni, meanwhile, has since taken a position as CEO of Northwood Academy Charter School in Philadelphia.
Editor's note: This story was amended to reflect the total votes for Yanni and Heineman's termination, as well as the absence of board members from the meeting.
