LANCASTER COUNTY – After a thorough review, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office has concluded that there is not enough available evidence to support criminally charging anyone in connection to a February 2025 incident where an IU-13 teacher is alleged to have restrained a 5-year-old child at Leola Elementary School for more than an hour. The investigation conducted by East Lampeter Township Police did not uncover any evidence of criminal wrongdoing and is now closed. Initial statements that eyewitnesses gave to IU-13 administrators denied that the teacher’s conduct on Feb. 27, rose to the level of child abuse and did not justify a ChildLine report being filed. Later reports by some witnesses contradicted their earlier statements and multiple other witnesses refused to speak with police. As such, the Commonwealth cannot substantiate criminal charges in the matter relating to the teacher’s actions or for violations of the Child Protective Services law relating to the timely filing of mandatory reports of child abuse.
