State House Committee Holds Local Hearing On Child Protection

HORSHAM, PA — When Todd Stephens learned about a federal lawsuit initiated by a North Penn School District student who says she was sexually assaulted by a male classmate more than 20 times, he decided to work on revamping Pennsylvania law to ensure there were less barriers to collaboration involving those who are charged with overseeing the protection of children.

Stephens, a state legislator from Montgomery County representing the 151st Legislative District, formerly worked as a child abuse prosecutor at the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office before getting elected to statewide office.

On Wednesday, he will participate in a hearing of the House Children and Youth Committee that will address the issues of child protection and confidentiality.

“I’m very sensitive to protecting victims,” Stephens, a Republican who grew up in the Hatboro-Horsham area, told Patch in an interview. “This is just a passion of mine. When these issues arise, it gets my attention.”

During Wednesday’s hearing, Stephens and other members of the House committee will hear testimony from various stakeholders, including representatives of the legal and law enforcement communities and those from child protective agencies.

The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. at the Montgomery Township Community Center at 1030 Horsham Road. Stephens said the hearing is somewhat rare in that it is being held locally in Montgomery County. Many House committee hearings are typically held in Harrisburg. He encouraged members of the public to attend.

The lawsuit that got the attention of Stephens was filed in October of last year at federal court in Philadelphia.

The plaintiff, listed only as ‘Jane Doe,’ is suing the North Penn School District over allegations that school officials acted with “deliberate indifference” to her safety throughout her education. The stunning allegations in the complaint say that the girl was sexually assaulted more than 20 times from elementary school all the way up through high school by a male classmate who the district knew had a history of sexual predation.

“The District has robbed Ms. Doe of her elementary, middle, and high school experiences, and subjected her to repeated sexual assault and harassment committed by a known predator …,” the lawsuit states.

The case is currently playing out at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Court records show a settlement conference is scheduled for Sept. 17 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lynne A. Sitarski.

Meanwhile, Stephens said the case sparked his interest because he wanted to know what types of barriers may be in place preventing various stakeholders in the child protection community from sharing information with one another.

Stephens said he understands there may be issues of confidentiality and discretion when dealing with children, but he said greater reforms could still be undertaken to improve communication between agencies whereas the protection of young people is concerned.

After all, he was the lawmaker behind the recent bill signed by Gov. Tom Wolf that was designed to remove a barrier that prevented law enforcement agencies from sharing certain investigative or criminal record history information with county youth agencies due to provisions in the Criminal History Record Information Act.

That bill, which Patch previously reported on, sailed through the legislature, Stephens said, in part because, “No one could believe that we were barring our police officers from sharing information with our Office of Children and Youth.”

Stephens said law enforcement, the Office of Children and Youth and schools across the commonwealth should all be working together to ensure cases like the alleged sexual assault in North Penn do not repeat themselves.

“How are these entities working together and collaborating to best protect our students,” Stephens asked.

Those scheduled to testify during Wednesday’s hearing in Montgomeryville include Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer; Montgomery County First Assistant District Attorney Ed McCann; Department of Human Services Deputy Secretary Jon Rubin; Brian Bornman of the Pennsylvania Children & Youth Administrators Association, and police chiefs from Horsham, Montgomery, Towamencin and Whitemarsh Townships in Montgomery County.