20 Delco school employees charged in connection with child abuse case

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

Twenty people are facing charges in connection with disturbing allegations of child abuse inside a Delaware County community school.

Chester Township police were notified on January 14, 2025, of a suspected child abuse case at Chester Community Charter School in the 2700 block of Bethel Road.

During the investigation, police learned that on January 9, 2025, the parent of a 7-year-old student contacted the school’s director of special programs, Denis Monzione, expressing concerns regarding their child’s safety and well-being at school, specifically in the “positive support room” on campus. The parent allegedly told Monzione that the student was afraid to go to school and was put in “holds.”

Monzione then relayed those concerns to the building principal, Phillip Meitner.

The next day, another 7-year-old student allegedly approached the school with similar concerns.

When Chester Township officers reviewed surveillance video taken inside several classrooms, including the “positive support room,” they reportedly counted around 100 cases of abuse against 26 kids as young as 5 years old.

Two of the accused, Raymon Harris and Kabree Daniels, improperly restrained children, according to an affidavit. They have been suspended pending an investigation.

Harris and Daniels are “positive support facilitators,” who work with emotionally supportive K-5, the affidavit states.

According to the affidavit, the two allegedly improperly restrained the students by using painful techniques such as pinching students’ necks, holding them in restraints, threatening them with “shoulder work,” as well as forcibly bringing the children to the ground.

Several of those arrested were employees of ‘Peak Performers Staffing,’ which claimed staff were trained in safety techniques. However, police say none were up to date on their training.

Investigators say nine staff members abused the kids, 11 others observed the abuse, but did not report it, which is required by law.

On Monday, the Chester Community Charter School posted a letter on its website, saying they are cooperating, but there are questions about how this was able to happen.

In court documents, investigators said, “The failure of mandated reporters, including teachers, (aides) and other school staff to support these incidents to Childline, shows a systemic issue within the school.”

Most of the documented incidents were in November and December, but investigators are still reviewing surveillance and more charges and arrests could be coming.

The 20 individuals facing charges include:

• Raymond Harris
• Kabree Daniels
• Christian Denny
• Martin Mincey, Jr.
• Harry Woodhouse, Jr
• Amaru Mohammed
• Leroy Campbell
• Adrian Hospedale
• Monica Griffin
• Daemon Pierce
• Don’Neisah King Pierce
• Arijah Clements
• Cyrus Barlee
• Neanne Edmonds
• Breshonna Belgrave
• Deja Bennett-Allen
• Ryan Ridley
• Maggie Moloney
• Dahkeem Williams
• Asia Pena

Nine defendants: Harris, Daniels, Denny, Mincey, Woodhouse, Mohammad, Campbell, Hospedale, and Griffin are each charged with multiple counts, including conspiracy, simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child, and failure to report endangering the welfare of a child.

Eleven defendants: Pierce, King-Pierce, Clements, Barlee, Edmonds, Belgrave, Bennett-Allen, Ridley, Moloney, Williams, and Pena are all charged with at least one, in most cases multiple, counts of failure to report the endangering the welfare of a child.

Read the full letter released by the Chester Community Charter School:

“CCCS has recently learned that several individuals, employees of a certified outside contractor formerly associated with the school, are being charged by local authorities for using disciplinary methods which are strictly prohibited by the school. The contractor is Peak Performers. As soon as school administrators learned that there was any possible violation of approved methods, it took swift and decisive action to terminate the contractor. CCCS employees who are alleged to have carried out such practices were also promptly terminated at that time, and any employees who might have had knowledge of the situation were placed on leave, pending further investigation. CCCS has been completely cooperative with local authorities.

It is important to note that families of all affected students were promptly notified as soon as the school became aware of the allegations, and those families have all chosen to keep their students enrolled at CCCS because of the school’s deep commitment to their education and wellbeing. No student is at risk and our entire CCCS community is committed to ensuring only the best practices to maintain a positive climate.

We also recently learned that three employees are being charged as part of this investigation for failing to report alleged misconduct. They have been suspended pending further investigation.

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. It is also important to know that CCCS requires that every employee who has direct contact with children complete mandated reporter training.

CCCS will continue to cooperate with any inquiry by local officials.”