Pa. schools reviewing security plans and policies

In the wake of the shooting deaths of 20 children at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, school districts across Pennsylvania are reviewing their own security policies.

 

State Department of Education spokesman Tim Eller says the agency sent a reminder on the day of the shooting to all school districts, private and public, to be aware of any suspicious behavior.

Specific communications with parents, he says, were handled by individual districts.

“I can tell you personally that the district that my students, my kids attend, the district sent out text messages, sent out emails, and also sent out phone calls, electronic phone calls to alert parents of actions that are being taken at the local level,” Eller said Wednesday.

Similar notifications were going out all across the state.

Some letters to parents also offered guidelines for telling children about the school shootings. Many explained that all school districts are required to have a plan for responding to various kinds of emergencies.

Eller says for many districts, those plans are getting a second look this week.