Authorities investigate whether late reporting of sexual relations in McKeesport schools is a criminal offense

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office is currently investigating whether McKeesport School District employees failed to alert state authorities to an alleged sexual relationship between a district employee and an underage student or whether they delayed reporting their suspicions and, if so, whether their actions were criminal.

In January, Allegheny County police charged Alexis Brown, a 24-year-old security guard at McKeesport High School, with having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student in the spring of 2023.

The alleged relationship was not reported to state authorities until November, Gary Matta, the school district’s attorney, said Wednesday.

In Pennsylvania, reporters – which include school employees – are required to “immediately and directly report” suspected child abuse, according to a joint statement from state education and social services agencies, which announced the child abuse hotline on Wednesday.

Educators who have knowledge of acts “that may have the character of sexual abuse, exploitation or sexual misconduct” must also file a mandatory report with the state Department of Education, officials said.

They said that a reporter who “intentionally fails to report a case of suspected child abuse” may be committing a crime.

Matta said he learned of the alleged sexual relationship in December, about a month after someone reported it to ChildLine.

The school district hired Pittsburgh-based law firm Dillon, McCandless, King, Coulter and Graham LLP to investigate after the alleged relationship was not reported to the law firm in a “timely manner,” Matta said.

“The investigation was about when we knew about it and who knew it,” McKeesport school board member David Donato told TribLive on Wednesday.

The law firm did not return calls on Wednesday.

“We are not a law enforcement agency,” Donato added. “But we want everyone else who is to do their job.”

The district attorney’s review came days after the surprise announcement that Superintendent Tia Wanzo would take three months of medical leave and then retire in November. Her leave took effect on August 14.

The district will pay Wanzo a severance package of $173,250, roughly equivalent to a year’s salary, Matta said.

In return, Wanzo has agreed not to sue the district, according to a separation agreement obtained by TribLive.

Wanzo has a valid and active superintendent certificate for grades PK-12, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education said Wednesday.

“Complaints about teacher misconduct are confidential unless public disciplinary action is taken against a teacher’s record,” the spokeswoman said.

When Wanzo learned of the alleged sexual relationship between the former security guard and the student is unclear – at least to the public.

Wanzo and her lawyer did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment Wednesday.

Brown no longer works for the school district, Matta said Wednesday. The student, whose name authorities did not release, was transferred out of the district before the 2023-24 school year.

Matta declined further comment on what he called a personnel matter.

In January, county police charged Brown with having sex with the student 15 times in her McKeesport apartment beginning in May 2023, according to a criminal complaint.

The teen told police that Brown initially contacted him through social media. They began sending each other text messages.

These conversations took on a sexual nature, the lawsuit says, when Brown told him that there was a bet among her friends about who would be allowed to have sex with the teenager first.

Brown was charged with sexual contact with a student, seduction of a minor, and unauthorized contact with a minor.

Prosecutors dropped the unauthorized contact charge in April when the case was transferred to Allegheny County court, online records show.

Her trial is scheduled to begin on September 25.

The Allegheny County Public Defender’s Office, which represents Brown, declined to comment Wednesday.

Wanzo, who graduated from McKeesport High School in 1997, was appointed superintendent in 2022.

The McKeesport resident spent her entire career in the school district where she studied, teaching at three district schools before becoming assistant principal at Founders’ Hall Middle School, the school’s website states.

The regional school district serves approximately 3,500 students from Dravosburg, McKeesport, South Versailles, Versailles and White Oak.