A report from another teacher prompted the investigation that led to the arrests this week of a teacher and aide at Greensburg Salem’s Robert F. Nicely Elementary School on accusations they mistreated three students in a special needs classroom, according to police.

“It seems that somebody from the classroom at Nicely Elementary had been talking, this other teacher from a different (elementary) school heard about the incident, knows that she’s a mandated reporter and did the right thing and filed the ChildLine (report),” Greensburg police Detective Sgt. Justin Scalzo said. “That’s what brought this to everybody’s attention.”

Brooke A. Stanko, 34, of Derry Township and Teri Kepchia, 58, of Hempfield were arraigned Friday morning on charges of conspiracy, child endangerment, false imprisonment, simple assault and failure to report. They are free on $50,000 unsecured bail.

Stanko was hired by Greensburg Salem School District in 2022 as a special education teacher. She worked in the same classroom as Kepchia, who was hired by the district in 2009 but may have worked there longer, possibly through another employer.

They are not working in the building now, and Superintendent Kenneth Bissell said Friday that officials are working through the disciplinary process. The allegations are upsetting, he said.

“It’s extremely disheartening because we know that trust is very difficult to build … so when we have individuals in a system that break that trust, it’s something that, again, we take very seriously,” he said.

Stanko and Kepchia are accused of spraying lemon juice and soap into the mouth of one child and restraining that child and two others with soundproofing mats on multiple occasions in September and October, according to charging documents filed Thursday by police. The children involved are 8, 7 and 6 years old, police said.

The teacher and aide also are alleged to have wrapped the soundproofing mats — which are sometimes used as room dividers — so tightly around the children that they could not move their arms, police said. Stanko also is accused of picking up one boy and repeatedly throwing him into a crash mat.

The ChildLine report was made Oct. 26 and the district was notified the following day. Police got involved and district parents were alerted by a letter from Bissell in November.

Kepchia admitted to police that Stanko directed her to spray the lemon juice and soapy water at one child, according to court papers.

Witnesses told police they saw the child who had the lemon juice and soap solution sprayed into their mouth being held down while the abuse occurred and Kepchia is accused of holding the child’s mouth during the ordeal, according to affidavit.

Kepchia’s attorney Tim Andrews said his client would never knowingly harm a child.

“It’s easy to make accusations, and I guarantee you that Ms. Kepchia is devastated by these accusations,” he said.

Stanko and her attorney left her arraignment without making a statement.

Scalzo said he notified parents of the affected students about what police believe happened.

“We’re talking about children that require some special care … and they may not have been able to effectively communicate that to the parents to tell them exactly what was going on,” he said.

The children still attend the McLaughlin Drive school and are doing great, Bissell said. District officials have been encouraging parents to talk to teachers about what’s going on in their child’s classroom and they plan to step up cold calls to parents in an effort to be more vigilant.

“No child can learn if they don’t feel a sense of security so trust is very important and making sure that people are doing the right thing is extremely important,” Bissell said.

Under Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Law, certain people are considered mandated reporters and must notify the Child Abuse Hotline — ChildLine — of any suspected abuse or neglect involving children. Some of those mandated reporters include school, library and social services employees.

Bissell said Greensburg Salem employees have mandated reporter training every three years.

“We learned of this through a mandated report, somebody did the right thing — they reported it and it allowed Greensburg police to step in and do a phenomenal job,” Bissell said.

“I believe in our 200 teachers, our 100 support staff that are there, I believe in every single one of them, that they are there to do the right thing,” he said “I know that they’re upset over the situation and we all want to do better and we will do better.”

It’s important for people who are mandated reporters to know the law, Scalzo said. The investigation is continuing.

”Just as in any profession … you’re going to have people that do the wrong things and that’s what we’re looking at here,” he said. “We have adults in a classroom that should’ve done better.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)