Mom, son sue Greensburg Salem district, claiming discrimination and mistreatment

A mother and her son filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Greensburg Salem School District, claiming officials there discriminated against the boy when he was mistreated in an elementary school special education classroom.

The mother said in the suit that she repeatedly told officials at Robert. F. Nicely Elementary School that her 8-year-old son’s behavior had changed in the fall of 2023. The claim states that, despite concerns she shared that her son was being inappropriately handled in the classroom, school officials didn’t investigate further or try to find a reason the boy’s behavior had changed.

Six people were charged by Greensburg police in connection with allegations about the mistreatment of three children at the school and/or failure to report. The children involved were 8, 7 and 6, police said. District officials have said the two employees and four contracted employees facing charges were removed from the Greensburg Salem classroom when officials were notified of the initial report.

The boy involved in the lawsuit has since been diagnosed with a trauma and stress disorder, according to court documents. Greensburg Salem superintendent Kenneth Bissell said the district learned about the lawsuit Tuesday.

“We are in the process of reviewing the complaint with our attorneys and will be preparing an appropriate response thereto,” he said, declining to comment further.

The suit alleges the district failed to train employees on how to properly restrain and have physical contact with a child and when and how to report suspected child abuse. The family is claiming discrimination, denial of benefits, violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the boy’s rights. They are seeking unspecified compensation.

Police said Brooke A. Stanko, 35, of Derry Township was working as a special education teacher and Teri Kepchia, 59, of Hempfield was an aide in the same classroom.

The two women 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 by police. They are charged with conspiracy, child endangerment, false imprisonment, simple assault and failure to report.

During brief court hearings Tuesday, a trial was tentatively scheduled for June.

Four others — Amanda Lehman, 40, of South Greensburg; Derek James Hines, 38, of Hempfield; Lorraine F. Robertson, 75, of Greensburg; and Lauren Byrne-Houser, 39, of Greensburg — were contracted employees from an outside agency. They are all awaiting preliminary hearings this month on charges of child endangerment and failure to report.

Police said in court papers that the four suspects were present during the allegations involving Stanko and Kepchia and did not report the situation.