A Philly-area teacher used his iPad to shoot upskirt photos of students, DA says

Francis Reppert Jr. spent his workdays as a math teacher at Palisades High School in Bucks County, about an hour north of Philadelphia. But he was using his classroom for more than teaching, according to the district attorney.

Reppert, 26, of Quakertown, faces criminal charges after police discovered upskirt photos of his female students that he had taken with his iPad, according to an affidavit filed in his arrest. On the device, the affidavit says, investigators also found photos of Reppert exposing himself in his classroom and writing “r/teachersgonewild” on a whiteboard, an apparent reference to a pornographic forum on the website Reddit.

Reppert was arraigned Friday morning on a charge of indecent exposure and six counts of invasion of privacy, court records show. He was released on $500,000 unsecured bond.

His Center City attorney, Matt Sedacca, declined to comment.

The district suspended Reppert in October, when an alleged victim contacted police, according to investigators. Palisades last month fired Reppert, who also coached boys’ and girls’ tennis.

Reppert’s arrest marks the second time in a year that a former teacher from the Palisades School District has faced criminal charges for victimizing students.

In May, Christian Willman was charged with sexual assault and corruption of minors for allegedly having prolonged sexual relationships with some of his female students. District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said at the time of Willman’s arrest that he had groomed the teens as part of a “twisted sexual perversion.”

Willman also is represented by Sedacca, who said Friday that a hearing in his case is scheduled for Tuesday in Doylestown.

“As all of you, I am upset, frustrated, and angered by the actions of two former employees of the Palisades School District involving students,” Palisades Superintendent Bridget O’Connell wrote in a statement to parents Friday.

O’Connell said the alleged offenses by Reppert and Willman “are a violation of our values and our beliefs in the Palisades community.”

“School personnel are held to a higher standard of behavior because we are entrusted with the education and welfare of our community’s children,” she said. “When that trust is violated, the victims, their families, and all members of the community feel the effects.”

Reppert’s alleged actions were discovered in October, when one of his male students informed a female classmate that he believed Reppert was taking “inappropriate pictures of her underneath the desk,” the affidavit says.

The girl later obtained video that showed Reppert using his personal iPad to “zoom in on her legs” while she was wearing a skirt in his classroom, the affidavit says.

When confronted, Reppert confessed to taking the photos and told investigators he used them to masturbate, according to the affidavit. During a search of his electronic devices, detectives found photos of Reppert naked from the neck down inside his classroom.