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Parents press Delaware Valley board on special education, bullying and alleged abuse; board to revisit personnel matters in executive session
Summary
Parents and teachers raised concerns about special education services, cyber charter costs and bullying; one parent publicly described an alleged May 2, 2025 abuse incident involving a special-education aide and said she was the mandated reporter. The board said some personnel actions had been taken and moved into executive session to address student and personnel matters.
Multiple parents and community members urged the Delaware Valley School District Board of Education to address gaps in special education, bullying and transparency around personnel matters, and one parent described a specific allegation of abuse by a special-education aide.
During public comment, Kayla Feiner said her son, then an emotional-support student, was abused by a special-education instructional aide on May 2, 2025; she said Pike County Children and Youth found the allegation indicated and that the aide resigned the same day. "Under Pennsylvania's Child Protective Services Law, school employees are mandated reporters," Feiner said, adding that she was the person who filed the report and that she was concerned the board may not have been informed. She called for accountability and clearer reporting and oversight.
Other speakers raised broader concerns: several parents and at least one speaker representing Commonwealth Charter Academy defended cyber charter options for some families and challenged district comparisons of test scores; speakers urged careful review of special-education budgets and compensatory education expenditures. A parent said cyber-charter programs can offer individualized instruction that some families seek when district supports are insufficient.
Board members acknowledged the concerns, reiterated plans for targeted roundtables on bullying and special education, and said some personnel matters related to an incident had been discussed in executive session and had resulted in staff departures. At the meeting chair's direction, the board moved to adjourn into executive session to discuss student and personnel matters following the public meeting.
Claims and responses - Claim: Kayla Feiner said an instructional aide abused her son on 05/02/2025 and that mandated reporters failed to act; status: reported to Pike County children and youth; she said she was the reporter and requested accountability. Response: Board members said the matter had been discussed in executive session previously, confirmed that some people involved are no longer with the district, and planned to revisit details in executive session to clarify what board members had been told.
What happens next: The board moved to executive session to discuss student and personnel matters; any further public action or disclosures will be constrained by confidentiality and student-privacy rules. The district offered roundtable sessions on special education and bullying for community engagement.
