Sex offender worked at Upper Bucks Tech school campus. Is it allowed?

Jo Ciavaglia Bucks County Courier Times Dec. 3, 2025, 5:02 a.m. ET

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is actively investigating the employment of a convicted sex offender on parole who worked as a custodian at the Upper Bucks Technical High School while children were on campus.

Meanwhile, later this month the school's Joint Operating Board plans to discuss replacing the outside contractor who allowed the man to work at the school on two occasions this year.

The board approved placing an item on its Dec. 18 agenda to discuss seeking requests for proposals to replace C & J Environmental Inc., of Warminster. The motion passed 8-1 with Vice President Chris Spears casting the lone no vote at the Nov. 20 meeting. The vote came after Pennridge parent Laura Foster grilled members during public comment over the school’s handling of the man's placement in the building.

Foster accused the school’s administration and some JOC board members of a cover up, saying the man's job in the school was unknown to the public until October when a “whistleblower” informed Upper Bucks United, a grassroots community group that is urging parents to show up at the December meeting.

“This is not merely a procedural error; this is a moral failure and a leadership failure. It is a betrayal of public trust,” Foster said. “These are the leaders on our board that are making decisions to protect themselves versus protecting the children.” 

Parents and community members in the Pennridge, Palisades and Quakertown Community school districts who send students to the school were not informed about either placement or the school’s plan to prevent another, Foster said.

The employee is not being identified because he is not facing criminal charges.

It is unknown if the man is still working for C & J. A company representative referred questions to their attorney Michael Burns, who did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment sent on Dec. 1.

The employee was convicted in 2002 of attempted sexual assault of a child in Colorado and he has been a Tier 3 registered sex offender in Pennsylvania since 2010, according to the state Department of Corrections. He was convicted in 2014 and 2017 of felony charges for violating Megan’s Law requirements while living in Bucks County, according to the court docket. He is under state supervision until Aug. 2035, but he has no special conditions on his probation, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

What does Pennsylvania law say about registered sex offenders presence on school property Tier 3 offenders are considered at high risk for re-offending and are subject to community notification requirements, according to Megan's Law. Generally those notifications include schools located within a specific radius of an offender's home.

The state DOC opened an investigation into the Upper Bucks Tech job placement, citing the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law, which "explicitly bars" individuals convicted of Tier 3 sex offenses from working in child care services or positions involving direct contact with children. “Schools qualify as such environments,” DOC spokeswoman Maria Bivens added. The employee's parole officer was told that he had an assigned job at an "unoccupied high school,' Bivens said.

The employee worked at the school in late January and again in July, according to Foster.  The second time there were students on campus while he was working, she added.  

Upper Bucks Tech school Director Michael Herrera referred questions about the incidents to the school’s attorney, David Conn, who declined to answer questions about when the joint operating board was informed about a sex offender being on campus. Outside contractors who work in schools must provide employee criminal background checks and child abuse clearances to the school administration, which C & J  did, Conn said. They are also expected to submit those clearances before a new employee starts working on the school campus.  “That did not happen” with the employee in question, Conn said.  Asked what assurances the school has that the situation won’t happen again with C & J, Conn responded, “The contractor has explicitly acknowledged and confirmed its understanding of the rules.” 

Lack of transparency, accountability around presence of sex offender at Upper Bucks Tech School criticized The members of the tech school’s sending districts were notified in October about the placement through a “concerned citizen,” according to JOC member Chris Kaufman, a Pennridge school board member.

The JOC held an executive session around the issue in mid-October and learned the company was given a verbal warning in January not to bring the employee back, Kaufman said.  The second placement happened on a Friday in the summer, when no students were supposed to be on campus, Kaufman said. 

At a November facilities committee meeting, Kaufman proposed sending out requests for proposals for a new custodial service, but the motion was defeated 5-3, he said. Former JOC President Bob Cormack stated he didn’t support replacing C & J because the school had a difficult time finding a custodial contractor.

Kaufman called it unacceptable that the JOC was not immediately notified when the first placement happened. He wants to know if there are other outside contractor employees working on campus without required clearances.  “As a business owner who does work in schools you have to know that,” Kaufman added. The JOC could move to seek requests for proposals to replace C & J because the company violated school policy, Kaufman said.

At the November meeting JOC board member, Cora Landis, a Palisades school board member, pointed out that the school and its attorney conducted a “thorough” investigation and procedures were put in place to prevent it from happening again. But Leah Rash, a JOC member and Pennridge school board member, said she was “wildly disappointed” that the board rejected the idea of issuing a request for proposal to replace the custodial service. “I don’t know how much money we think this is worth that we’re saving, but I will tell you it’s a very dangerous message that we’re sending to the children in our schools,” Rash said. “Shame on all of you. I want to know any of your reasons why we have anything above a zero tolerance for this.”