Parents of student at Chester charter school where 20 workers were charged with child abuse file lawsuit

A Chester charter school where 20 workers have been charged in relation to abuse of children was negligent and allowed for a “culture of abuse,” parents of one student say in a lawsuit.

The school, meanwhile, says it is also a victim and filed a lawsuit earlier this month placing the blame for the widespread abuse allegations at the feet of a staffing agency.

The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office in March announced charges against 20 workers of Chester Community Charter School after an investigation identified 26 children — from kindergarten to fifth grade — who were allegedly abused by staff. The students were part of the school’s program that supports students with emotional and behavioral needs.

“This case is every parents’ nightmare,” District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a statement announcing the charges. “We send our children to school expecting the adults will keep them safe, not abuse them physically and emotionally.”

» READ MORE: Delco DA charges 20 workers at Chester charter school in child abuse case

In a lawsuit filed last week in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia, Adrienne Taylor alleges that her fifth-grade child was abused at two campuses between 2022 and 2025. In addition to the school, the lawsuit lists as defendants Peak Performers Educational Staffing Corp., which employed staffers at the program, and four staffers who have been charged.

The complaint details restraining maneuvers that school staffers are accused of using on students, including pinching pressure points in the neck and holding a child’s arms while pushing a knee into the back.

The lawsuit also alleges that students would be “forcibly taken by staff when accused of disruptive behavior” to a special padded room. In the room, staff “employed aggressive, assaultive, abusive, and violent maneuvers to restrain and inflict pain upon children,” the complaint says.

David Caputo, the attorney representing the parents, said that it is rare to have such a large number of people charged criminally in an abuse case.

“The extent of the alleged systemic failure is shocking, and the number of young children allegedly victimized is heartbreaking,” Caputo said.

Max Tribble, a spokesperson for the school, said that the charter school is also a victim of Peak Performers.

“CCCS was deceived and lied to by Peak Performers repeatedly,” Tribble said.

In March, following the employees’ arrests, school CEO David E. Clark Jr. wrote in a letter to the school community that the staffers accused of abuse have been terminated and three others who allegedly failed to report the misconduct were suspended. The school also terminated the contract with Peak Performers.

“The health and safety of our students is always our top priority and that is why we acted quickly to ensure that students would not be further subjected to any unauthorized disciplinary methods,” Clark said in the letter.

Over 4,000 students attend CCCS schools in the Chester-Upland area.

Earlier this month, the school filed a lawsuit in Delaware County Court, accusing the staffing agency that employed the workers of deception that led to “untrained, unqualified, and dangerous individuals” in classrooms.

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The school paid Peak Performers Educational Staffing Corp. $751,769 per school year for staff to support the program for students with behavioral and emotional needs, according to the complaint. The charter school was promised that staff would be certified, trained, and high quality, the complaint says, adding: “that was a lie.”

“Staff provided by Peak Performers blatantly violated CCCS’ policies and procedures by utilizing harmful and inappropriate disciplinary techniques against students,” the lawsuit says.

No attorneys are listed for Peak Performers in court records. The company’s phone number goes to a full voicemail.