Bucks Co. Teacher Jailed For Taking 'Upskirt' Photos

DOYLESTOWN, PA — A former math teacher at Palisades High School will spend one year in jail for secretly taking photographs looking up the skirts of female students and sharing the photos online, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office announced.

Francis James Reppert Jr., 27, of Quakertown, was also ordered to pay $2,447 to cover the cost of therapy for the victims and will be required to register as a sex offender for at least 15 years.

Reppert was caught taking the photos in late 2019 after a student captured a video of Reppert viewing and zooming in on a photo of what appeared to be a student's legs. State police found additional images on Reppert's personal iPhone and a school-issued iPad. The photos, taken from underneath Reppert’s desk, depicted three female students. Investigators also recovered photos of Reppert exposing his penis inside Palisades High School.

Reppert pleaded guilty in October to indecent exposure and invasion of privacy.

During his sentencing Monday, two students and their mothers told Common Pleas Judge Raymond McHugh how Reppert's actions left them devastated and afraid to return to school.

Deputy District Attorney Matthew Lannetti argued for a higher sentence due to the damage inflicted on the victims and Reppert's position of authority.

“When we send our kids to school, we are supposed to know they are safe,” Lannetti said. “Other than being home with their families, there is no safer place to be.”

Since Reppert's arrest, state lawmakers in Bucks County have proposed legislation that would make upskirting penalties a third-degree felony for a first violation and a second-degree felony for additional offenses. The current penalty is a misdemeanor charge.

"While Mr. Reppert’s conduct was taken seriously by the court in its sentencing, the court was limited by the constraints of the law as written," District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. "We are currently working with our legislators to increase the grading and therefore possible penalties in any instance in which a teacher 'upskirts' a child."

Reppert was fired by the Palisades School District in late 2019. He had been employed by the school district since August 2016.

The case was investigated by Pennsylvania State Police and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Matthew Lannetti.

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