The former Jamison Elementary teacher and special education assistant accused of abusing students in an autistic support classroom have sued Central Bucks School District for not defending them in the scandal’s legal fallout.
The district terminated the teacher, Gabrielle McDaniel, and assistant, Rachel Aussprung, in June, around the time parents of three students filed complaints with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the suit says.
Because the complaints were related to conduct McDaniel and Aussprung engaged in as part of their job, the duo asked the district to pay for their legal defense.
But in an April email, Central Bucks’ solicitor, Peter Amuso, said the district would not cover the costs.
“The District terminated Ms. McDaniel and Ms. Aussprung after determining that they engaged in the mistreatment and abuse of special education students,” Amuso wrote, according to a copy of the email attached to the complaint. “In light of these serious violations, the District has determined that it will not assume responsibility for legal representation or associated attorney fees on their behalf.”
A report from the watchdog group Disability Rights Pennsylvania released in April 2025 found that the teacher and assistant illegally restrained students, creating a “reasonable likelihood of bodily injury” and likely interfering with their breathing, among other abusive behaviors.
The lawsuit, filed last week in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, says that because no court determined that McDaniel and Aussprung acted outside the scope of their classroom duties, the district is required by law to defend them in the human relations complaint and the “inevitable civil actions that will follow.” It asks a judge to order the district to defend the teacher and aide in any legal case brought against them because of the allegations, and pay for their attorneys.
The attorney representing McDaniel and Aussprung declined to comment. The school district did not respond to a request for comment.
The allegations of abuse at Jamison date back to fall 2024, and the district’s initial response led to a wave of terminations and legal action.
District officials initially denied the allegations and said police investigated the matter and found no criminal conduct. No criminal charges have been filed against McDaniel and Aussprung.
Community members corroborated the allegations in statements to the school board.
The Disability Rights PA report found the allegations credible and accused district administrators of having failed to adequately investigate. The watchdog group also said the administrators’ belated report with ChildLine, the state’s hotline for Child Protective Services, “withheld relevant information from ChildLine and then the police.”
The school board, which at first stood by administrators, changed its tune and terminated superintendent Steven Yanni and Jamison principal David Heineman, as well as the administrator overseeing special education, Alyssa Wright.
Wright filed a federal lawsuit against the district and eight board members in September, in which she claimed she was a whistleblower who was scapegoated after raising concerns over the pace and competence of the investigation into the suspected abuse. The case is ongoing.
Yanni and Heineman appealed their terminations, and a decision is pending. The Pennsylvania Department of Education upheld Wright’s termination in March.