UPHS Teacher Waives Formal Arraignment on Failure to Report Charges

Frank R. Mercon, the Upper Perkiomen High School teacher charged with failure to report the sexual assault of a student, has waived his formal arraignment and will participate in a pretrial conference in four to six weeks.

Mercon’s attorney, Mark Neff, entered an appearance for his client to waive the formal arraignment before a pretrial conference, according to Montgomery County court administration.

A formal arraignment is provided for defendants to learn more on the court process, their rights, and to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

Mercon has been charged with two third degree misdemeanors of failure to report suspected child abuse and enumeration of persons to report, according to court documents.

The Upper Perkiomen School District has not commented on Mercon's employment status. He is still listed as a district employee on the UPSD website.

Students and community members rallied around the health teacher and baseball coach after his arrest, and had publically planned to attend previous court proceedings.

There was no student presence at the Montgomery County Court House during Mercon's scheduled formal arraignment.

See Also:

Court Hearing for UPHS Teacher Moved; Rally Canceled

Students Rally Behind Arrested Teacher

Upper Perk Teacher Charged with Failure to Report Suspected Child Abuse