McKeesport Area School District administrator failed to report sexual contact between school guard and student
McKeesport PA September 7 2024
In a jam-packed board room at the McKeesport Area School District Administration Building Thursday evening, several people voiced support for former superintendent Tia Wanzo — who resigned last week after her alleged failure to report sexual contact between a high school security guard and a student — and expressed concerns regarding the downward trajectory of the school district.
“Ms. Wanzo stepped up and took on a leadership role, she started working for the district — a place that she loved, she poured her soul out,” said Christine Robinson, who lives on Washington Street in McKeesport.
“We’re running person after person out — you’re not going to get anyone qualified who cares about our kids,” Ms. Robinson said.
An internal investigation accuses Ms. Wanzo, the principal of the senior high school, and a teacher of not reporting the sexual contact between the underage student and security guard. The report — which was obtained by Post-Gazette news partner KDKA — alleges Ms. Wanzo failed to remove security guard Alexis Brown until two months after learning about the inappropriate sexual contact, along with failing to report it to the state’s ChildLine, the mandated statewide child protective services program designed to accept child abuse referrals.
Ms. Brown was charged with institutional sexual assault, the corruption of minors, and unlawful contact with a minor in January.
Last month, the school board voted to hire William Pettigrew — who served decades as the superintendent of the Mars school district — as interim superintendent.
Since then, many McKeesport parents and community members have come out in support of Ms. Wanzo, who resigned voluntarily and will receive a one-year salary of $173,250.
Bridget Truss, a McKeesport resident, accused Director Diane Elias of making “disparaging comments” on social media towards Ms. Wanzo. “You said and I quote, ‘I refuse to support our children being put in danger,'” she said to Ms. Elias.
“But that was when somebody stated their support of Ms. Wanzo online — you were alluding that her presence was endangering our children’s lives.”
School Board Solicitor Gary Matta pushed back on Ms. Truss’ claim that Ms. Elias’ comment was directed towards Ms. Wanzo. “I asked Ms. Elias to remove the comment, even though it was not meant to be derogatory,” he said.
Others said there was a double standard in light of the recent arrest of Brenda Sawyer, the McKeesport Area School District police chief. Ms. Sawyer was charged Thursday with theft and other offenses related to the misuse of money from her former job at the state Attorney General’s office.
“Why was the school police chief left on the job after a search warrant was served at her house a few months ago?” one man asked the directors. “She was left on the job with our children, meanwhile our superintendent is just crucified, literally crucified, at the stake for not removing somebody from their position.”
Mr. Matta denied that there was a double standard and told the Post-Gazette Ms. Sawyer was placed on paid leave when they were made aware of her arrest at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Many, like Cynthia Baldwin, expressed concern over the quality of education McKeesport students receive. For example, just a third of McKeesport Area Senior High School students tested proficient in English and Language Arts in 2023 compared to a statewide average of 54.5%, state data shows.
Ms. Baldwin pointed to several administrative and teaching vacancies as key factors.
“Everybody is concerned,” she said. “Are these kids prepared to compete for jobs or higher education?” she asked.
Mr. Matta said the directors were addressing “all vacancies within the district” and that they hoped to announce the filling of several positions in the coming weeks.
“We’ll take some additional actions, and we’ll continue to move forward within the best interest of the story,” he said.
However, Ms. Robinson said the allegations against McKeesport staff would hinder the board’s ability to hire quality employees. “If we continue to have all this dirt and mud, people are going to run from it,” she said.
