Autistic Cumberland County student allegedly assaulted by school aide

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A former paraprofessional for a Cumberland County school district is accused of assaulting a non-verbal, autistic elementary school student.

While working as an aide at East Pennsboro School District, Jessica Piper, 36, of Enola, allegedly assaulted the student over the course of the 2023-24 school year, according to charging documents from East Pennsboro Township Police.

Piper was a paraprofessional employed through Substitute Teacher Service and she was the student’s aide during the school year, the charges show.

District officials said she was let go immediately once officials were told about the investigation.

“Ms. Piper was removed from her position once we were formally notified of the investigation pending allegations of misconduct,” a statement from the district reads.

According to police, they got a report in May about Piper allegedly grabbing the child by the neck and pushing him to the ground to make him pick stuff up. Police also alleged Piper would also cover the child’s mouth to prevent him from making noise and she would restrain him with her hands.

Police were told that Piper was seen hitting and holding her hand over the student’s mouth by witnesses and that it “was not done in a gentle manner,” police said in the charges. Piper was also witnessed squeezing his face while yelling at him and shoving the back of his head, police said.

When told about the bruises, one witness told police they were not shocked because “there was no way there couldn’t have been bruises,” the charges show.

The child’s mother also noticed them coming home with apparent fingerprint bruising around his arm and jawline, police said.

Piper faces a felony charge of endangering the welfare of children and a misdemeanor charge of simple assault.

She is out on unsecured bail set at $10,000 and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 23.

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