Francis James Reppert Jr., 27, of Quakertown, pleaded guilty in Bucks County court Tuesday to taking upskirt photos of former students as well as exposing himself while he was employed at Palisades High School. (FILE PHOTO)
A former math teacher at Palisades High School pleaded guilty Tuesday to invasion of privacy and indecent exposure for taking photos looking up the skirts of students and sharing them online.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s office reported in a news release that Francis James Reppert Jr., 27, of Quakertown, appeared before Common Pleas Judge Raymond F. McHugh and pleaded guilty to indecent exposure, a first-degree misdemeanor, and two second-degree misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy.
The district attorney’s office said Reppert’s sentencing was deferred for 90 days while he undergoes a sex offender evaluation. However, as part of his plea, he will be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law for at least 15 years.
Reppert was charged in January following an investigation that began last fall “after a student captured a video of Reppert viewing, and zooming in on, a photo of what appeared to be a student’s legs,” the news release said.
Pennsylvania State Police later confronted Reppert, who Deputy District Attorney Matthew Lannetti told the court admitted to taking photos of the victim.
State police also reported finding additional inappropriate images on Reppert’s personal iPhone and a school-issued iPad.
According to the news release, the photos were taken from underneath Reppert’s desk and depicted three female students.
“Investigators also recovered photos of Reppert exposing his penis inside Palisades High School,” the news release said.
Reppert was fired by the Palisades School District late last year, it added.
In addition to teaching math, Reppert coached boys’ and girls’ tennis and had been employed by the school district since August 2016, the district attorney’s office said.
The case was investigated by Pennsylvania State Police and is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Matthew S. Lannetti.