Security measures upped at Hempfield after threat concerns

Students at Hempfield Area School District will continue to be screened with metal detectors before entering school buildings. The decision was made after a student last week reported seeing a threatening message in a bathroom that referenced guns.

The screening and other security measures began Friday.

According to an email sent to parents by Superintendent Tammy Wolicki, the district was alerted to the threatening message Thursday and is working with school police and Pennsylvania State Police. Neither believes the threat is credible.

The district also was made aware of a nationally circulated social media post that included “a threat being named for an unspecified state, school district and/or school,” according to a Remind message sent out on Friday.

“In an abundance of caution, we are collaborating with the PA State Police, (and) school police, and they believe there is no threat to our students,” the message stated.

A similar situation over the past several days prompted increased school security at districts around the country, including North Carolina, Florida and Minnesota.

When Hempfield Area students enter the school, they and their belongings will be screened with a hand-held metal detector. Administrators will search any bags that contain metal, the letter noted. There also will be a stronger police presence on campus.

At the high school, students who ride a bus to school will be directed to the entrance nearest the auditorium. Students who drive to school and those who are dropped off will enter the field house main entrance.

Any student arriving late to school will be required to use the front main entrance, and any student who leaves the school to retrieve forgotten items from a car will have to be rescreened to reenter the building.

According to the Remind message, all enhanced safety procedures will continue to be in place at all district schools.