Ex-Malvern School Director Sentenced In Abuse Case

WEST CHESTER PA — The former director of The Malvern School in Westtown was sentenced this week in the Chester County Justice Center to two years of probation for failing to report that three young students were abused at the school.

Tiffany Nichols, 41, of Kennett Square, pleaded guilty before U.S. Judge Analisa Sondergaard to failure to report incidents of child abuse involving children ages, 14, 15, and 16 months.

Nichols is no longer employed at the Malvern School in Westtown.

As part of the plea agreement between prosecutors and her lawyer, Nichols is prevented from contacting the children. She is also required to write a letter apologizing to each victim.

The teacher, Victoria Aronson, also was arrested and charged with several counts of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, and related offenses for physically abusing children who were approximately one and a half years old.

Aronson, 37, of Brookhaven, Delaware County, was sentenced in April to 3 to 11/2 months in the Chester County Justice Center.

Aronson, who worked as a caretaker in a class for ages 12-18 months, was arrested on Oct. 25, 2021, and charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, and related offenses.

Police said the children were bruised, and one suffered a scratch on the eye.

According to police, eyewitnesses told Nichols about the abuse, but she failed to immediately contact Childline, law enforcement, and parents.

As a result of her failure to report or remove Aronson from her access to children, the abuse continued, and law enforcement was unable to engage in a timely investigation.

Nichols discussed Aronson’s abuse with an eyewitness on Oct. 1, 2021, but failed to contact Childline until 9:34 p.m. and did not give an accurate report of the abuse. Because of this failure, Childline did not notify the proper authorities, resulting in a further 6-day delay in the investigation. The delay also prevented parents from seeking medical evaluations for their children.

Pennsylvania law requires mandated reporters must make an immediate and direct report of suspected child abuse to ChildLine either electronically at www. compass. state.pa.us/cwis or by calling 1-800- 932-0313.