Pennsylvania School Safety News

6/5/24 - 13-year-old accused of killing Susquehanna Township High School senior - HARRISBURG, Pa. —A 13-year-old boy is accused of shooting and killing an 18-year-old man in Harrisburg Tuesday night.

5/28/24 - Teen student detained after allegedly trying to bring gun through school security checkpoint - CHESTER, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A 16-year-old student was taken into custody Tuesday morning after police said a handgun was found in his backpack at Chester High School.

5/26/24 - Bill proposes making panic buttons a requirement in PA schools - When school-related violence erupts, studies have shown a rapid response time can mean the difference between life and death.

5/22/24 - Boy, 11, shoots at Bucks County home, police say - Police say an 11-year-old boy fired a gun at a home on the 100 block of Goldenridge Drive in Levittown, Pennsylvania

4/19/24 - Montgomery County parents outraged after middle school student attacked with Stanley cup - Parents say the attack could have been prevented if the school had heeded their warnings.

3/25/24 - Philly school officials unveil $1M program to help students exposed to violence - The School District of Philadelphia announced a program to train hundreds of law enforcement officers and school personnel what to do when students are exposed to trauma and violence

3/20/24 - ‘We are not going to be defined by senseless street violence:' Principal of school where 8 students were shot - Northeast High School is trying to get back to normal after eight of its students were shot while at a bus stop.

3/19/24 - Hermitage 5th-grader had gun at school Monday - HERMITAGE – Hermitage police are investigating a report that a Hermitage School District student had a gun at school Monday.

3/6/24 - Philadelphia mass shooting that injured 8 students at bus stop - PHILADELPHIA -- Police released video of a group of suspects wanted in a mass shooting that injured eight students at a bus stop in Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon.

2/25/24 - Delaware County school hosts celebration of life for 6 killed in shooting, house fire - EAST LANSDOWNE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A community in Delaware County came together to remember a family who died after a shooting and house fire broke out earlier this month.

2/15/24 - Gun found at Central Dauphin East High School after hours-long lockdown - LOWER PAXTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) — A handgun was recovered and some students were detained at Central Dauphin East High School in Lower Paxton Township, prompting an administrative lockdown and the search for a bag that remains ongoing.

2/12/24 - North Philadelphia school placed on lockdown after student found with gun - PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- YouthBuild Charter School in North Philadelphia was placed on lockdown on Monday after a student brought a gun to school.

2/6/24 - Gun found in Cumberland Valley SD student's backpack, days after threat reported - CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — School officials with the Cumberland Valley School District confirm a gun was found in a middle school student's backpack today.

1/25/24 - Teen had loaded rifle, was heading to school, Scranton police say - (NewsNation) — Police say a teen had a loaded gun and an intent to harm people at Scranton High School, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

1/14/24 - Illinois boy, 12, accused of threatening Palisades Middle School - A 12-year-old boy from Illinois is accused of making a threat against Palisades Middle School in upper Bucks County.

1/6/24 - Teen Caught With Gun at Pennsylvania Elementary School - LOCK HAVEN, PA – Demario Baer, a 19-year-old resident of Lock Haven, faces several charges including Terroristic Threats, Possession of a Weapon on School Property, Possessing Instruments of Crime, and Disorderly Conduct.

12/20/23 - Student arrested after bringing gun to school in Allentown - ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A 17-year-old is being charged with bringing a gun into a school in Allentown.

12/19/23 - 17-year-old with firearm sends Dieruff High School into lockdown - Louis E. Dieruff High School Tuesday morning went into a brief lockdown due to a 17-year-old student carrying a gun into school, the district’s spokeswoman said.

11/24/23 - This school tried to keep kids safe. Then graduation ended in gunfire. - The pandemic made things worse, fueling a spike in violence: There were more school shootings in 2022 than in any year since 1999, according to a Washington Post database

10/23/23 - As violence increases, school safety evolves - PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — School safety is at the top of every parent's and educator's mind these days — with mass shootings, gun violence in the streets, and threats against students in marginalized groups. Stacey Locke, deputy superintendent for the Yakima School District in Yakima, Washington, has had to respond to several school shootings. She joins KYW Newsradio In Depth to discuss how how her district navigates school safety.

10/9/23 - At least 1 dead, 8 injured in shooting at Pennsylvania community center - Authorities say at least one person was killed and eight others wounded after a shooting during a private party at a community center in White Township, Pa. WPXI’s Antoinette DelBel reports.

9/18/23 -  Several local school districts evacuated after bomb threats - BURGETTSTOWN, Pa. — Burgettstown Middle/High School and Avella and Fort Cherry school districts were evacuated on Monday due to bomb threats.

9/9/23 - Teen arrested after making threats, flashing weapon at high school football game in Indiana - INDIANA, Pa. — A teenager was arrested at a high school football game in Indiana County after police say he made threats and displayed a weapon.

9/5/23 - Girl, 11, in custody after bomb threat - PHILADELPHIA - A scary first day back for one Philadelphia middle school after police say a bomb threat sparked an evacuation just as classes began.

7/4/23 - Five dead in Philadelphia shooting that’s nation’s worst violence around July 4 - PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A 40-year-old killed one man in a house before fatally shooting four others on the streets of a Philadelphia neighborhood, then surrendering to police officers after being cornered in an alley with an assault rifle, a pistol, extra magazines, a police scanner and a bulletproof vest, police said.

6/9/23 - Allentown's Raub Middle School sees spike in disciplinary issues, absenteeism in wake of pandemic - ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Allentown school board will consider a $1.2 million grant for violence prevention at Raub Middle School, plus $1.386 million for mental health services, at its regular meeting at the end of this month.

6/6/23 - Gun found in student's backpack put Philadelphia prep school on temporary lockdown: officials - PHILADELPHIA - A gun found inside a preparatory school prompted a lockdown in Philadelphia's Frankford section Tuesday morning.

5/9/23 - 2 minors in custody after gun found at Philadelphia middle school: police - PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia middle school was locked down Tuesday after police say a minor brought a gun to school. Grover Washington Middle School in Olney was locked down shortly before 10:50 a.m.

5/8/23 - 7th grader fires gun in elementary school bathroom: Officials - PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are investigating after a gun was found in the bathroom at an elementary school on Monday morning.

4/21/23 - Police Presence At Centennial Schools Friday Following Threat - Warminster Police said the school district reported a potential threat against William Tennent High School that came through a phone call.

4/18/23 - Threat prompts Governor Mifflin schools to go virtual - SHILLINGTON, Pa. - Governor Mifflin Middle and High schools are going virtual Tuesday due to a threat.

4/11/23 - Police investigating threat made against Delaware County high school on Instagram - DELAWARE COUNTY - A threat against a high school in Delaware County has prompted law enforcement to take action Tuesday morning.

4/11/23 - Social media threat leads to extra police at Pa. high school - PROSPECT PARK, Pa. (CBS) -- There will be a heightened police presence at Interboro High School Tuesday after someone made a threat against the school students and staff on Instagram, according to local police.

3/23/23 - Police release statement about gun found at school in Lancaster County - LANCASTER, Pa. —Police say a gun was found at a school on Tuesday in the School District of Lancaster.  Manheim Township police said their officers responded to E.R. Martin School around 11 a.m. for a report of a gun on school property.

3/13/23 - Boy, 15, Becomes 17th Student Killed in Philadelphia This School Year - A teenage boy was shot to death on Algon Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia on Monday afternoon

3/8/23 - 3 employees, neighbor lucky to be alive after shooting outside West Philadelphia school - PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Three Philadelphia School District employees and a neighbor are lucky to be alive after they were nearly struck by bullets during a shooting Wednesday afternoon.

3/5/23 - High school student charged for knife at school - Bald Eagle Township, Pa. — A high school student was taken into custody after school officials discovered he was carrying a knife.

2/27/23 - Student at North Philadelphia school finds gun in backpack - PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A student at a North Philadelphia school found a gun in her backpack on Monday morning, according to a statement from the Gesu School.

2/24/23 - Police say report of a shooting at Wilson High School was a hoax - About 100 law enforcement officers descended on the Wilson High School campus during Friday morning classes after Berks County dispatchers fielded a call, which was later determined to be a hoax, about a shooting in the school.

2/24/23 - Report of shooting at Lionville Middle School a hoax, police say - DOWNINTOWN — A report of a shooting at Lionville Middle School early Friday morning was apparently a swatting incident, police said. A similar call was made to a school in Berks County a short time later.

2/15/23 - Mom charged after 6-year-old son brings gun to Norristown school: DA - NORRISTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A woman from Norristown, Pa. has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child after her 6-year-old son brought a handgun to school, the Montgomery County District Attorney's office said.

2/4/23 - Incident with weapon at Pa. high school causes basketball teams to barricade themselves in rooms after game - A Pennsylvania high school basketball game ended Friday night with a scary scene that saw both teams barricading themselves in rooms after there was reportedly a warning of an “active shooter” at the school.

1/31/23 - Teen Shot in Apparent Drive-by While Walking to West Philly School - Overbrook High School was placed on lockdown Tuesday morning after a 15-year-old ninth grader was shot a few blocks away, Philadelphia police and the School District of Philadelphia said

1/30/23 - Threats made against middle school in Lansdale prompt early dismissal for students - LANSDALE, Pa. - Students at a middle school in Lansdale were dismissed early after multiple threats were made against the school. 

1/18/23 - Two juveniles arrested for shooting threats against Greater Johnstown School District - JOHNSTOWN, Pa (WTAJ) — Two juveniles have been arrested following an investigation of shooting threats against the Greater Johnstown School District.

1/16/23 - Parents, students react to shooting threat at GJSD - A school shooting threat was reported on Monday at the Greater Johnstown School District.

1/14/23 - Police say school threat not valid - After a thorough investigation, state police have determined a threat made on social media involving the Tussey Mountain School District has been traced to an out-of-state individual and is not valid.

12/28/22 - Police, school district investigate alleged threat at Fretz - According to school representatives, the threat came in the form of a statement made by a juvenile, which was overheard by another.

12/27/22 - Bullet-resistant shields in schools underscore a societal failure | Editorial - After a record year for school shootings, America continues to look for answers beyond sensible gun safety measures. It is an ongoing tragedy of our making.

12/20/22 - Student in Custody After Bringing Gun to Northeast Philly Elementary School - The principal of Louis H. Farrell School, on the 8300 block of Castor Avenue, placed the school on lockdown around 8 a.m. when a parent called to report a student brought a firearm into the building, according to authorities.

12/20/22 - Lockdown lifted after Rhawnhurst elementary school student found with gun - PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police say an elementary school in the Rhawnhurst section was placed on lockdown Tuesday morning after a student brought a gun.

12/19/22 - 57 blocks in Philly are prone to shootings. Community groups are mobilizing to curb the gun violence - 57 Philadelphia blocks where 10 or more people have been shot since 2015, according to a 2021 Philadelphia Inquirer analysis of police data. 

12/9/22 - Teacher injured breaking up fight at Norristown Area High School, student arrested - WEST NORRITON TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A teacher was injured and a student arrested after a large fight at Norristown Area High School on Wednesday.

11/27/22 - Educators School Safety Network seeing massive increase in threats - PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – It's every parent's worst nightmare – schools going on lockdown following a threat of violence.

11/23/22 - Official says 4 Philly high school students shot near school - PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Four students were injured in an apparent drive-by shooting shortly after their Philadelphia high school let out early for the day on Wednesday, a city schools spokesperson said.

11/15/22 - Threat disrupts school at LCTI for 3rd day in a row - N. WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - Another day, another threat disrupting classes at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute.

11/14/22 - 'I'm scared': Gun found inside locker prompts lockdown at Philadelphia charter school - PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia junior high school was placed on lockdown Monday after police allegedly found a gun inside a student's locker. 

11/13/22 - Weapon reported day after deadly shooting at student apartments next to Kutztown University - KUTZTOWN, Pa. - Kutztown University police are on heightened alert Monday morning after a pair of incidents over the weekend.

11/11/22 - Social media used to threaten Hanover Middle School - HANOVER, Pa. — Hanover Public School District were made aware on Thursday night of a social media post threatening students at Hanover Middle School.

11/5/22 - 3 teens suspected in Philly school shooting committed another murder the day before, police say - PHILADELPHIA — Three of the teens accused of shooting five young football players, killing one, outside Roxborough High School in September are expected to be charged with murder in connection with another fatal shooting the day before, police said Friday.

11/4/22 - 3 suspects in shooting near Roxborough High School charged in separate murder - PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police say three of the suspects who have been charged in a fatal shooting near Roxborough High School in September have now been charged with a separate killing.

11/2/22 - Charges pending after student pictured with gun in school - BOYERTOWN, Pa. — A picture circulating on social media prompted concern and a police investigation at a high school that serves students in Berks and Montgomery counties.

10/31/22 - Chester County HS closed again due to threat of violence - PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Coatesville Area School District is closed Monday after another threat of violence to the high school campus.

10/28/22 - LCTI closed after threat towards school - SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa. -- Lehigh Career & Technical Institute (LCTI) closed Friday morning after a threat of potential violence was made.

10/27/22 - Coatesville Senior High School closed following threat - COATESVILLE, Pa. (CBS) -- A Chester County high school is closed Thursday due to another threat of an active shooting. A spokesperson for the Coatesville Area School District tells CBS3 that a Safe to Say alert indicated an active shooting at the Coatesville Senior High School. 

10/21/22 - Weapon found on student inside Canon-McMillan High School - CANONSBURG, Pa. — A student at Canon-McMillan High School was removed by police after a weapon was discovered on them Friday morning.

10/20/22 - Schools released after gun violence causes lockdowns in West Philly

10/19/22 - Teen student arrested for bomb threat that sparked major evacuation, lockdown at Coatesville schools - CHESTER COUNTY, Pa. - Students, staff and parents have been on edge after a string of threats against schools in Coatesville the past couple weeks. Officials say a 17-year-old student responsible for at least one of those threats is now in custody.

10/19/22 - 17-year-old student charged with making recent threat against Coatesville Area High School - COATESVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A 17-year-old has been arrested and charged in connection with a recent threat of violence made against Coatesville Area High School, according to the Chester County District Attorney's Office.

10/18/22 - FBI joins investigation after multiple threats target Coatesville Area Schools - COATESVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A Chester County school district is providing new information about a string of threats that led to classes being canceled at two schools.

10/17/22 - Suspect wanted in deadly shooting near Roxborough High School turns self in - PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police have taken another suspect into custody following the deadly shooting near Roxborough High School last month.

10/16/22 - State Police, school district investigating alleged threat against North East High School - (WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com) — The North East School District and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating an alleged threat made against North East High School. 

10/16/22 - Teen with loaded gun found in stadium at Pennsylvania high school football game - BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Police say a teenager with a loaded firearm was arrested at a high school football stadium during a game in eastern Pennsylvania.

10/15/22 - Juvenile caught with loaded gun at high school football game in Lehigh Valley - BETHLEHEM, Pa. - As school safety takes center stages across the Delaware Valley, police say a male juvenile brought a loaded firearm to a football game for a Pennsylvania high school.

10/15/22 - 2 in custody, 2 sought in fatal shooting outside high school - PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police have named two more juvenile suspects in last month’s ambush shooting outside a Philadelphia high school that killed a 14-year-old and wounded four other teenagers after a football scrimmage.

10/14/22 - Coatesville Area Senior High receives another safety threat, forcing protocols at football game - DOWNINGTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The crowd under the Friday night lights looked much smaller than normal at Bishop Shanahan High School against Coatesville Area Senior High.

10/12/22 - Gun confiscated at Wilkes-Barre Area High School - PLAINS TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Wilkes-Barre Area School District officials say they confiscated a gun from a student at the high school Tuesday morning.

10/12/22 - Philly students really want after-school activities to be safe spaces, but aren’t sure it’s true - Many high school students in Philadelphia considered after-school activities an escape from the city’s rising gun violence. The recent tragedy outside Roxborough High has some questioning if that’s still true.

10/12/22 - 2 separate gun threats place 2 Philly schools in lockdowns; 2 students arrested - PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police officials say two separate schools within the School District of Philadelphia were placed on lockdown Wednesday afternoon, due to issues with firearms.

10/8/22 - Football games at Coatesville, Roxborough high schools canceled due to threats, safety concerns - Friday night football was canceled this evening at two area high schools due to safety concerns.

10/5/22 - Pa. student charged with threatening, bringing weapon to school - ULYSSES, Pa. (WETM) – A Potter County teen has been suspended from school and accused of threatening his high school and bringing a weapon onto school grounds, according to police.

9/30/22 - Philadelphia Military Academy lockdown lifted, police say - PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A lockdown at a military school in North Philadelphia has been lifted. Police say Philadelphia Military Academy, located on the 2100 block of North 13th Street, was placed on lockdown at 12:35 p.m. Friday.

9/29/22 - Coatesville High School placed on lockdown after report of student carrying handgun - CALN TOWNSHIP — Shortly after 11:30 a.m., Officials from the Coatesville Area Senior High School received a tip from the Safe2Say line stating that a student on the campus may have a weapon with them on the property.

9/29/22 - Hundreds gather in Roxborough for vigil following deadly shooting - The community of Roxborough gathered at Gorgas Park Thursday evening to grieve and pray following Tuesday’s deadly shooting near Roxborough High School.

9/28/22 - Philadelphia shooting: Teen killed, 4 others injured in shooting after high school football scrimmage - PHILADELPHIA - One teen is dead and four others are injured after police say a shooting erupted following a football scrimmage at Roxborough High School on Tuesday afternoon. 

9/28/22 - Student found with gun in Mechanicsburg’s Elmwood Academy - A student brought a gun to Elmwood Academy in what the Mechanicsburg Area School District superintendent said was “an isolated incident.”

9/25/22 - Police say threat of gun violence against Allentown school not credible; security to be increased as  precaution - ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A "potential threat of gun violence" directed towards Allentown's South Mountain Middle School for Monday was found to be not credible, according to city police.

9/15/22 - Juvenile with gun in Allentown prompts lockdown at nearby schools - ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Some Allentown schools were in lockdown for several hours Thursday after a police situation at a nearby park.

9/9/22 - Parkland schools to conduct remote learning Friday due to security threat against middle school, district says - LEHIGH COUNTY, Pa. - Schools in Parkland will undergo remote learning on Friday due to a security threat that prompted school closures on Thursday. 

9/8/22 - South Whitehall police, FBI continue to investigate after threat against Orefield Middle School students, staff - S. WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - South Whitehall Police are still investigating a threat at Orefield Middle School that shut down the entire Parkland School District Thursday.

8/31/22 - Triple Shooting Outside Philly School Leaves Teen Hurt, Bullet in School - A teenage boy, a woman and a man were shot when at least two gunmen -- one with a rifle -- opened fire in the schoolyard of a Philadelphia elementary school overnight, Philadelphia police said. At least one bullet went into the empty school.

11/10/21 - Pennsylvania school threat leads to Plainfield schools to open with additional security - PLAINFIELD, Conn. — A school threat nearly 500 miles away prompted Plainfield public schools to open Wednesday with additional security. 

Plainfield school officials said Tuesday evening that a social media "screen image" suggested a threat of violence against Plainfield High School. The image used the initials "PHHS," which officials said are not commonly associated with the high school. 

11/8/21 - Quadruple shooting prompts 2 schools to lock down in Philadelphia's Feltonville section - PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A quadruple shooting caused two Philadelphia schools to go on lockdown Monday morning in the city's Feltonville section.

11/7/21 - Parkland Father Says Schools 'Severely' Underreport Cases Of Bullying, Violence - Max Schacter's son was murdered in the Parkland school shooting -- and now he's made it his mission to help keep violence out of schools.

11/6/21 - ‘Arrest Pending’ In October High School Threat - LOWER POTTSGROVE PA – “An arrest is pending,” the Lower Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners learned Thursday (Nov. 4, 2021), related to an Oct. 18 “terroristic threats” incident that prompted a day-long lock-in of both Pottsgrove High and nearby Ringing Rocks Elementary schools.

11/1/21 - Shooting threat on social media prompts police presence at Richland School District - RICHLAND TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WJAC) — Richland School District officials say a police investigation has found that the threat circulating social media was directed at a North Carolina school. Officials say the Richland School District in Cambria County will still see an increased police presence Tuesday as a continued precaution.