Following a trial yesterday, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office’s Safe Schools Advocate has secured a conviction of a former special education teacher in the Bristol Borough School District who mistreated a 7-year-old student with autism at Snyder-Girotti Elementary School. 

Stephanie Kleinfelder, 26, of Levittown, was found guilty by Magisterial District Judge Terrance Hughes of a summary charge of harassment involving physical contact. Judge Hughes ordered Kleinfelder to pay a $150 fine.  The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney David O’Beirne, the Office’s Safe Schools Advocate. 

The conviction stems from a December 2025 incident inside a classroom at Snyder-Girotti Elementary School. According to testimony presented at the hearing, Kleinfelder was conducting testing with the student when the child became agitated and attempted to strike her. In response, Kleinfelder grabbed the child’s wrist and forced his hand to strike his own face twice while yelling at him “How do you like that?” 

Two classroom aides testified that Kleinfelder’s actions violated standard crisis prevention and de-escalation protocol. 

“This Office will fight to keep our schools safe for children, especially our most vulnerable students,” said District Attorney Joe Khan. “This trial was legally and emotionally challenging, which is why we created the position of Safe Schools Advocate to prosecute cases like these.  We commend David and our partners in the Bristol Borough Police Department for taking on this fight to make clear that we will not tolerate actions by school employees that cross the line into criminal conduct.”  

Kleinfelder was placed on administrative leave following the incident in December, charged by summons by the Bristol Borough Police Department in February, and subsequently resigned her position in March. 

Media Contact: Manuel Gamiz Jr., 215.348.6298, mgamiz@buckscounty.org