HOUTZDALE – Emotions ran high at a special Moshannon Valley Area School District meeting Tuesday night as parents and students expressed concerns after three incidents regarding school safety.
In addition to members of the school board, the panel listening to concerns included the district attorney, director of juvenile probation, two members of the Pennsylvania State Police, the district solicitor, superintendent and school resource officer.
Superintendent John Zesiger began by giving updates on recent events.
He said that Tuesday’s incident involved a conversation about a weapon and it was discovered that a student had a cutting implement, not a firearm, and the state police were contacted.
The other incidents included a possible gun sighting at the football game Friday night and the threat of a weapon at Saturday’s homecoming dance.
He said they had a soft lock down where students stayed in place with adults and let out early Tuesday. The PSP and a K-9 unit did a sweep of the building, and there will be additional security beginning Wednesday.
Zesiger also said there were changes in some procedures with bag searches, sports equipment stored in locked rooms and handheld metal detectors utilized.
Additionally, 845 full-sized heavy duty clear backpacks have been ordered for students.
He explained that he understands everyone wants as much information as there is, but that the district has the responsibility to protect certain information and has to clear what they release to the public through the PSP and district solicitor.
Sgt. Robert Straw, PSP commander, added that his troopers responded when called and a juvenile was taken into custody and charged Tuesday.
District Attorney Ryan Sayers spoke and said that everyone agrees that the utmost priority is safety for all the schools.
Sayers noted that a major problem has been social media where people spread rumors, which make matters worse.
It was emphasized that the only information that should be taken as fact is what comes from the school district, DA’s office and PSP.
“This has to stop,” Sayers said about incidents, noting that other school districts are having issues as well.
He added that parents can also be held liable both civilly and criminally. “You are responsible.”
To students, Sayers said this is not a joke and that if they are taken into custody, they’ll be taken from their families and friends and put in a detention center where they will be alone.
“We take this incredibly seriously,” he said.
The floor was then opened for the public to make comments and ask questions. Many of the comments were regarding the need for full metal detectors at the school and administrators agreed.
Zesiger said that one issue they need to solve is additional staffing that would be needed for the metal detectors to be utilized.
One parent spoke about her daughter, who saw the gun on Friday, and the miscommunication she received from the district.
After some back and forth it was learned that the weapon was actually a toy gun that looked real, and so there was credible evidence to the incident, even though it was a plastic gun..
Another issue raised by parents and students both was bullying both at the school and out of school.
District officials stated that they act on incidents they are aware of, but many people felt that not enough is being done.
Mental health care was also a topic of concern, and Zesiger said that when he first came to the district, there was no mental health care, but now there are resources available and they are trying do do more.
Some students thanked the administration for all they’ve done and noted that part of the problem is parents who spread rumors and create more anxiety, which they pass onto their children.
One student stated that parent’s haven’t handled the recent incidents like adults.
Students also said they want to be able to come to school and feel safe and just come to learn.
Some parents gave suggestions, such as volunteering to help screen students or fund raise for metal detectors, and Zesiger asked them to contact him to further discuss possibilities.
District officials agreed that more could have been done to better communicate with families about what was going on and said they would continue to work on doing better.
At the close of the meeting, Zesiger said they appreciated everyone who came out to the meeting.
He showed off devices the district purchased for staff where they can press the button and send a message to security and staff when there is an issue of concern, whether of safety, medical or other incident.
“Tonight’s meeting cannot end the dialog,” he said, adding that maybe they could consider having such meetings on a regular basis.
Board member Zane Hensal added, “I want the same thing you do, I think we can and will do better.”