Special Ed Teacher Fined For Incident Involving Autistic Student

An ex-special education teacher in the Bristol Borough School District was convicted Tuesday of putting her hands on an autistic student in the classroom.

Stephanie Kleinfelder, 26, of Levittown, was found guilty of a summary charge of harassment involving physical contact at a summary trial before District Judge Terry Hughes.

A second harassment charge was withdrawn by Bucks County Deputy District Attorney David O’Beirne, who serves as the office’s Safe Schools Advocate.

Hughes ordered Kleinfelder to pay a $150 fine as part of the conviction.

The summary trial came after a reported December 2025 incident inside a classroom at Snyder-Girotti Elementary School in Bristol Borough.

Testimony presented at the trial found that Kleinfelder was testing the student when the child grew agitated and tried to hit her. Kleinfelder responded by grabbing the child’s wrist and forcing his hand to hit his own face twice.

“How do you like that?” she reportedly yelled at the student.

Two classroom aides testified that Kleinfelder’s conduct violated established protocol for crisis prevention and de-escalation in a school.

The Bristol Borough Police Department and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office launched an investigation into the incident after it was reported, according to court papers.

According to school district records and officials, Kleinfelder was hired by the district in August 2025. She was placed on administrative leave in December pending the outcome of the investigation and she resigned her position in March.

Pennsylvania Department of Education records show Kleinfelder earned her special education instructional credentials in 2022.

After the verdict, Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan commended the investigative and legal team.

“This office will fight to keep our schools safe for children, especially our most vulnerable students,” Khan said. “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.”