Delco DA charges 20 workers at Chester charter school in child abuse case

The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office has charged 20 workers at a Chester-based charter school with child abuse-related offenses, alleging that some employees and contractors used painful physical techniques to restrain children at the school, while others failed to report the mistreatment.

An investigation launched in January identified 26 children at Chester Community Charter School who had allegedly been abused by nine school workers. The children, who ranged from kindergarten to fifth grade, were all part of an emotional-support program at the school known as the Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success.

“This case is every parents’ nightmare,” District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a statement. “We send our children to school expecting the adults will keep them safe, not abuse them physically and emotionally.”

Authorities launched their investigation after receiving a complaint from two parents of children at the school’s West Campus in Chester Township in January, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office said. The complaint indicated that the children said they were scared to attend school over the possibility of staff members placing them into “holds.”

School workers allegedly used techniques such as pinching, pressure points, physical restraints, and threats of “shoulder work” as punishments, the district attorney’s office said. Shoulder work, the office added, included placing children in holds by crossing their arms in front of them and placing a knee on their back until they were on the ground.

Much of the alleged abuse took place in 2024, the DA’s office said. But despite a state law requiring reporting the usage of so-called safety holds, no such incidents were reported by the school that year, school officials reportedly told investigators. Many instances of alleged abuse were captured on surveillance camera footage, the DA’s office said.

Police reviewed surveillance footage dating to early November 2024 and identified approximately 100 instances of physical abuse, typically involving “physically restraining children without any visible threat to themselves or others,” according to an affidavit.

 The affidavit also described the alleged abuse at the school as “systemic and deliberate,” with those committing it acting “with calculated intent, using excessive force as a means of control.”

The investigation into the alleged abuse remains ongoing, and additional charges may be filed as police continue to review surveillance footage, Stollsteimer said at a Monday news conferences. It was not yet clear how many more victims might emerge as the investigation progresses, he added.

“This is just unacceptable behavior to happen anywhere — particularly in a school setting for children who are supposed to be getting emotional support,” Stollsteimer said.

A statement signed by school CEO David E. Clark. Jr. said that the school had cooperated with local authorities on the investigation and that families of affected students were notified immediately.

Stollsteimer said Monday that most of the individuals charged in the case were contracted to work at the school through a Chester-based company called Peak Performers Staffing LLC, which assured authorities that staff members had been trained in safety techniques, officials said.

Authorities, however, said they later learned that none of the business’ employees had received the required updated training.

Peak Performers provides “behavioral management and support” services to schools, according to a company website. The firm was cofounded by Jennifer Woodhouse and Emmanuel Gilbert in 2021. Gilbert was a former supervisor at Philadelphia-based education and disability nonprofit Elwyn, according to an online resume.

Neither Woodhouse nor Gilbert immediately responded to requests for comment.

In a follow-up statement, the school said it previously worked with Elwyn to contract for “certain behavioral supports” that Elwyn later discontinued. Peak Performers took over that role for Chester Community Charter School, in part because of the cofounder’s time at Elwyn, the school said.

The statement posted to the school’s Facebook page said that it had terminated the contractor “as soon as school administrators learned that there was any possible violation of approved methods.”

 The school added that three of its employees were charged in the case and are accused of failing to report the alleged abuse. All three have been suspended pending the ongoing investigation, the school said.

“These employees were the victims of Peak Performers,” the school said.

The nine workers accused of abusing children at the school were charged with offenses including simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, and related charges. The workers charged with those offenses are Raymond Harris, Kabree Daniels, Christian Denny, Martin Mincey Jr., Harry Woodhouse Jr., Amaru Mohammed, Leroy Campbell, Adrian Hospedale, and Monica Griffin.

Authorities charged 11 other workers with at least one count of failure to report the endangerment of the welfare of a child in connection with the case, authorities said. Those individuals are Daemon Pierce, Don’Neisah King Pierce, Arijah Clements, Cyrus Barlee, Neanne Edmonds, Breshonna Belgrave, Deja Bennett-Allen, Ryan Ridley, Maggie Moloney, Dahkeem Williams, and Asia Pena.

All 20 employees are mandated reporters of incidents of suspected child abuse according to Pennsylvania law, the district attorney’s office said. Three people charged in the case had turned themselves in to authorities as of Monday afternoon, Stollsteimer said, and additional surrenders are expected.

Staff writer Ryan Briggs contributed to this article.